A Chosen's Hope
by unit2337
Summary: The Uchiha Clan rebelled three years earlier than in cannon. During the fight Itachi vanished, only to awaken outside of Surrey. How will he deal with being in an unfamiliar location and confronted by people that can seemingly bend reality to their will?
1. Chapter 1

**AN: This is my first story, so it may not be that great. I don't have a beta reader, but I feel I did well on my spelling and grammar. Feel free to point out mistakes or give me tips.**

**I altered some portions of the first and second chapters. While not changing the plot, I believe the changes improved the flow.**

**So this doesn't waste people's time: female-Harry; AU, more so after the first two years; no slash/yaoi; no purposeful bashing.**

**I don't own anything but the plot.**

**Chapter 1:**

Uchiha Itachi, or as was practiced in this new location, Itachi Uchiha, was labeled many things. A genius, a pacifist, a master of his emotions, but what he most certainly was, was a survivor. Therefore, when the newly promoted Chūnin awoke in a mist filled clearing in an unfamiliar forest caked in dried blood he did not outwardly panic. Rather, he proceeded to take stock of his situation.

He began with his surroundings. The trees here, while numerous, were smaller and of a different species than the ones in Konoha. The sun was still on its rise, showing it was morning, _probably around nine; _the air was definitely more humid, although that could be due to the water he heard nearby. The only thing similar was the temperature, but that did not tell him very much. The only noise was the chirping of a few birds, rustling leaves betraying the presence of small animals, and a gentle trickling of running water.

Deciding that he was safe for the moment, Itachi proceeded to check his equipment. His typical attire consisted of a Konoha's standard dark green Chūnin vest over a dark-grey, long-sleeved shirt, dark grey pants and dark blue ninja sandals. On his thighs were his kunai and shuriken holders, each about a quarter full. Three fūma shuriken occupied his back and his leaf hitai-ate his forehead. However, much of his gear was now brown with dried blood, a problem he would need to rectify as soon as he could.

He silently followed the sound of water and quickly came across a creek. Still not sensing anything dangerous, he stripped down and washed himself and his clothes of blood. Satisfied with his efforts, he redressed. _Now for the challenge_, he thought, _finding where I am and how I got here._

Following the creek, he took off. He soon came across a road made of black stone. Traveling this road was a multitude of large metal vehicles, the types of which he had never before seen. Making a quick decision on which direction to travel, he began running in the direction most of the metal objects were while remaining out of sight.

After travelling for about half an hour, he discovered the destination of most of the vehicles: a building, larger than any in Konoha, or anywhere else in the Elemental Countries, made of concrete and glass, with colorful signs and banners. Hundreds of people walked in and out of this place using large glass doors. _If I want answers, I'll need to go inside, but as it is I stand out. Good thing for the henge._ He henged into a nondescript young man with brown hair, brown eyes a blue jacket and jeans, and walked inside.

Hours later, the same nondescript man left the building, a mall, he had learned. The security was practically non-existent; the few uniformed guards seemed to lack even the most basic training; most were hardly attentive to their surroundings. While he was inside, Itachi had entered a book store of sorts and used his training to gain much needed knowledge. Luckily the location's language was similar to his own. He was in a place called England, more specifically Surrey and the inhabitants spoke a language called English. It seemed his language was a mixture of this 'English' and another called 'Japanese.' He easily stole a few self-study language books, a map of the United Kingdom, the kingdom he was currently in. He also nabbed a few tourist guides to give him well-known landmarks in case he got lost.

A week later, Itachi had successfully learned enough English to communicate with the locals. While he wasn't perfect, often reverting back to his native language when he didn't know the English word or phrase, he was passable. Learning to read, they used letters rather than the kanji he was used to, was easier with the Sharingan. Gaining information about the culture was much simpler given the sheer number of texts devoted to it, as well as the multiple news programs and newspapers readily available. Using his specialty, genjutsu, he had managed to purchase a decent sized house in Little Whinging, Surrey. His house, Number Six Privet Drive, was identical to every other on the street, which suited Itachi fine. Obtaining furniture was criminally easy with his knowledge of storage seals and stealth, and his house was comfortably furnished within the week. In order to keep him and his belongings safe, Itachi had duplicated the security seals from his clan's compound. Now non-Uchiha could only enter if given permission. Simple, yes, but quite effective.

His neighbors, while polite, were grating on his nerves. When he first moved in, they had come to greet the new neighbor and every one of them asked about his parents. He explained that his father was dead and his mother worked double shifts at a hospital to support them. Thankfully, the sad story and his polite demeanor caused them not to delve deeper. Soon, rumors were circulating about the unfortunate young child in Number Six and his poor, hard-working mother. The occasional henge gave proof of her existence to spying neighbors; that she was hardly seen added yet more credence to his story.

There were a few people he distinctly remembered. First was Arabella Figg, an odd, old woman with an unhealthy obsession with cats. Although she didn't live on Privet Drive, instead the next street over, Wisteria Walk, she frequently walked past his house, paying an undue amount of attention to Number Four, which housed the Dursely family, another distinctive family. They were amongst the first to visit, due either to their obvious desire to appear 'perfect' or simply because they were immediately adjacent to him Itachi was unsure, and had thoroughly disgusted him: he could _hear_ both the fat of Vernon and his son Dudley squelching at even the minutest movements. Not to mention Petunia, the mother, possessed a shill voice sent shivers down his spine, and not in a good way. Needless to say, he wasn't keen on interacting with his neighbors after meeting them.

Once he was settled, he spent the majority of his time training in the woods he arrived in. Despite how weak the civilians he encountered were, the strength of their military was as yet unknown. It was during one of his sessions where he made a startling discovery: he had obtained the Mangekyō Sharingan. His discovery sparked the memory of how he had come to be here.

His clan had revolted. He, along with the rest of Konoha, had been taken by surprise. He had sided with Konoha, which resulted in him fighting, and subsequently killing, his best friend, Uchiha Shisui. He cried blood as he gained his bloodline's infamous advancement. But he couldn't stop there, no; he couldn't stop until the leader of his clan was killed. He couldn't stop until his father lay dead. And so he had fought on, killing countless people he had grown up with; more tears falling as he did so. Their cries of 'traitor' and other such titles hurt him more than the wounds he received.

Eventually he made it to the clan head's house, his house. He could have let the ANBU or the Hokage or any other ninja confront the clan head, but he did so himself; he needed to know why. He needed to know why his father had ordered the rest of his clan, his family, to betray his home. He was disappointed with the answer: power. Once stripped of all the political nonsense and claims of clan rights, all there was, was a bid for power. He was disgusted.

With the fervor that led to him being named a prodigy, Itachi attacked. His father stood no chance. While powerful in his own right, years of sitting on the Hokage's council and neglecting his training had weakened him immensely. The fight was short, but brutal. The ultimate irony was Itachi's finishing move: Amaterasu. Fugaku's own son sent him to Hell with the deadly black fire of his clan's legends. Unfortunately, Itachi didn't see his brother, Sasuke, watching.

"Why, Itachi?" the five year old had asked; the tears streaming down his face served only to emphasize the confusion, horror and betrayal that were alight in his eyes.

So distracted with that simple question he didn't notice a few of his clansmen burst into the room. Only four cries of "Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu" brought him back to the situation at hand, but it was too late for him to dodge. Left with no other option, he had tried to use Kamui to vanish the flames.

Fate, it seemed, had other plans.

Instead of opening a vortex between him and the approaching fire, the Kamui opened where he stood and sent him from his home. The only thing that came with him was the fading cry of Sasuke screaming out to him.

May faded way into June and his birthday rolled around, a fact that only served to increase his sense of solitude. The day began the same as the others, a good workout followed by a nutritious and filling breakfast. However, the day soon became odd. As he was finishing his meal he heard a knocking on a nearby window. He drew a kunai from his pouch, holding it discretely in his hand, and went to investigate.

At the window was a brown owl. That was odd, but more so was the letter attached to the owl's leg. Keeping a firm grip on his kunai, Itachi opened the window. The owl immediately hopped inside and lifted its leg to Itachi. Feeling slightly apprehensive, Itachi formed a Kage Bunshin. The clone grabbed the letter and opened it. Nothing happened. _So far, so good_, he thought. Not detecting any poisons, airborne or otherwise, the clone unfolded the letter. It read:

**HOGWARTS SCHOOL**

_**Of **_**WITCHCRAFT **_**and **_**WIZARDRY**

_Headmaster: Dumbledore Albus_

_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,_

_Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. Of Wizards)_

_Dear Mr. Uchiha,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

_Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31. If you require assistance, please mention so in your reply._

_Yours sincerely,_

_McGonagall Minerva_

_Deputy Headmistress_

For possibly the first time in his life, Itachi was stunned.

"Is this a joke?"

The owl merely stared. Deciding it wasn't worth his sanity to further question the bird, he decided to reply. _I have seen some rather unusual occurences, this isn't the strangest. Perhaps this '_magic_' is similar to chakra. It is worth looking into._He finished his reply, requesting the offered assistance, and attached the letter to the owl. Said bird rolled its head, as if to say 'About time,' then flew away. Things definitely took a turn for the strange.

A few hours later, there was another knock, this one louder and on the front door. _Probably the 'assistance.'_ Like last time, he drew a kunai and answered the door. What he saw was not what he expected, not that he knew what to expect. Standing there was someone not entirely human. To start, he was short, shorter than Itachi. Next, his ears and nose were a bit too long and more pointed than normal. Other than that he was fairly standard looking, dressed in a slightly too long suit jacket, a white dress shirt and a blue bow tie; he could pass for a successful business man.

"Hello, can I help you?" Itachi asked, his voice betraying no emotion.

"Ah, yes, Mr. Itachi Uchiha, I presume? I am Filius Flitwick, Charms Master of Hogwarts and Head of Ravenclaw House. How are you today?" the short man asked in a squeaky voiced filled with happiness.

"I am well, though slightly confused, as you may imagine," Itachi answered, still masking his thoughts and feelings.

"Yes, yes, that is why I'm here, after all," Flitwick replied, nearly bouncing out in either joy or anticipation. _I bet if I showed any excitement at all he would actually start bouncing_, Itachi thought. Despite his somewhat cynical thought, he nodded and invited the professor in.

"Now, I'm assuming you have never seen proof that magic is real, correct?" Flitwick asked, showing a hint of seriousness not present before.

"I have not."

"Are your parents in?"

"My father is dead and my mother is away at work."

Flitwick visibly saddened at this. "I'm sorry. Is she expected home soon?"

"No, sir."

Frowning, but then brightening, as if he decided it couldn't be helped, Flitwick continued, "Very well then. We can determine how to deal with this later, if you'd like."

"That would be for the best."

Mildly alarmed at how mature and cold the young boy was acting, Flitwick continued, "Now as I am a Charms Master as well as the Charms professor, I shall demonstrate a simple charm that you will be able to accomplish at the end of the school year, should you decide to attend Hogwarts."

The professor then pulled a wooden stick from his jacket and began waving it in some obscure pattern while muttering under his breath. Suddenly, Itachi's new couch began _dancing?_ Yes, dancing would be a short yet accurate description, although, bouncing and swirling would also work. To Itachi's credit, the only sign of surprise was a slightly raised eyebrow. As the couch settled down to its previous, stationary position, Itachi turned to Flitwick.

"Intriguing," was Itachi's vocal response. His silent response was much different. _How was he able to do that? Chakra strings. Possible, but highly unlikely. After the initial movements I did not detect any motion that could have been used to control the couch. I wish I could have used my Sharingan, but I don't know how he'd react to my eyes suddenly changing. At the very least, this 'magic' seems worth looking into._

"Quite. Now, you have your list, yes? Then let us be off. Merely grab hold of this parchment and don't let go," Flitwick instructed as he pulled a piece of parchment out. Cautious of a trick, Itachi grabbed hold. The two disappeared. Miles away in London, two figures, child-like in height, appeared in an alleyway.

"That was a portkey, one of the standard methods of transportation witches and wizards use," the shorter of the two stated, noticeably less disheveled than the other.

"Hn, I see." While Itachi's tone hadn't changed, he was upset at his less-than-spectacular landing. _What the hell? One minute we're at the house and now we're in the middle of a city! It was similar to a Shunshin, but it was faster and seemed to be centered on that paper._

After straightening up, the two left the alleyway, Itachi following closely behind and to the side of Flitwick. They quickly entered a shabby looking pub which, conveniently, was next to the alley. A well-worn sign announced it as 'The Leaky Cauldron.' A handful of patrons occupied the interior, all dressed in flowing robes of various colors. Two had hoods of some sort hiding their faces from view, increasing Itachi's wariness of them. A bald and wrinkly man stood behind the bar, washing used dishes.

Having heard the door open, the bartender looked up from drying a mug. Seeing a familiar face, he opened his toothless mouth and asked, "Hey, Filius how are you today? Can I get you anything? A soda with cherry syrup, perhaps?"

"Not at the moment, Tom. I'm showing Mr. Uchiha here the Alley. I may come back for that drink once we're done, though. Take care." Flitwick responded cheerily with a nod to the barkeep.

The pair exited through the back and entered a small, bricked-off enclosure. Itachi tensed, anticipating an attack of some sort. His Sharingan flared to life when Flitwick drew his wand. Fortunately for him, Flitwick was facing one of the walls and not the Uchiha. Rather than attack, however, the short professor instead tapped the bricks in a seemingly random pattern then stepped back. Realizing that there was no imminent threat, the Uchiha deactivated his doujutsu. He almost wished he hadn't when he saw what was beyond the wall.

In front of him was one of the most glorious sights he had ever seen. Whereas the Leaky Cauldron had seemed decrepit and ancient, this place was literally glowing with vitality and life. The people walked around without a care, children ran across the street with large smiles on their faces. Shops lined the streets, leading to one massive building. The building was massive, made of marble and decorated with gold. Even the various sounds one would associate with a market such as this seemed _happier_somehow, like everyone was a child again and the biggest problem to be overcome was what to flavor of ice cream they wanted. For someone that grew up during the Third Great Shinobi War and had taken countless lives before he was even a teenager, the feeling was new and, if Itachi was honest with himself, nearly addicting.

"Welcome, Itachi, to Diagon Alley."

_Regardless of if I learn this 'magic' or not, this sight made being here worth whatever trouble it was worth it. If this is how they feel even half of the time I can see how the people here would become so soft and weak. I feel like nothing could possibly go wrong._

"Marvelous, isn't it?" Flitwick asked rhetorically. "That large building there is are destination: Gringotts, the Wizard Bank." As he said this, he pointed to the marble building that commanded attention.

Itachi was taken out of his thoughts; he cursed his slip-up in a potentially dangerous situation. He once again masked his emotions, replacing his stone-like façade he was known for. "Very well, whenever you're ready."

"Then let us be off!" Flitwick cheered, although slightly disturbed as to what could have caused this child to his feelings so easily. Whatever caused it, he hoped, perhaps being at Hogwarts would heal him.

At the bank, Itachi couldn't help but stare at the small yet ferocious looking creatures behind the counters and standing guard. They ranged from three to four feet in height. The tellers were dressed in expensive looking robes, mostly dark colors inlaid with gold. The guards, however, were ostentatious in a frightening way. Gold, full-body armor with spiked pauldrons and swirls of some black metal attracted attention while the battle axes and halberds, edges gleaming in the artificial light, kept people from approaching. All in all, they were very effective in quelling any thought robbing the tellers. Itachi couldn't help but notice a general resemblance between these creatures and Professor Flitwick.

"Goblins, Itachi. Make sure to watch yourself," Flitwick cautioned, "they don't take kindly to insults and only tolerate rudeness if you have enough gold to make your presence worthwhile."

Itachi nodded and turned to the customers, about a dozen witches and wizards with three children. There wasn't much to notice about them, all were dressed in decently new clothing, probably middle class. There were seven tellers in action, leaving five in the line ahead of the duo. The goblins must have been good at their jobs as the wait didn't last long.

"How can I help you?" the goblin growled.

Flitwick responded in a different language, a combination of grunts and growls with the occasional snarl thrown in, which the goblin responded in. The young Uchiha assumed it was the goblin language. A few sentences later, the goblin handed over a sack filled with some form of coin. The professor thanked him and motioned Itachi to follow as he left the bank.

Once outside Flitwick reached into the sack and pulled out three different coins. The largest was gold and about three centimeters in length. The next was silver and two centimeters. The final was bronze and one. "Alright, Itachi, these are the coins we use for currency. The gold one is a galleon, the silver a sickle, and the bronze a knut. Twenty-nine knuts equal one sickle, seventeen sickles to a galleon. One galleon is about five pounds. It sounds complicated, but it's easier than it seems."

"I imagine. If you don't mind me asking, where did that money come from?"

"Ah, not at all. This actually came from the vault Hogwarts has to supply first year muggleborns and various special case students. It wouldn't be fair if we came and invited you to a school you had no information on and demanded you pay."

"I see. So the first year is a sort of trial period?"

"That would be fairly accurate, yes. Now I suggest we get you your wand first, as with that you can visit here anytime, so long as you have about fifteen sickles or so."

This puzzled Itachi, "How would having a wand allow me to travel here?"

"Why, the Knight Bus of course! Simply hold your wand out and it will come to you. Ask the driver to take you to the Leaky Cauldron and you can get Tom to let you in."

With a nod, they set off to _Olivander's, Makers of Fine Wands Since 562 B.C._They entered to a musky interior, dust visibly floated in the air. There was no noise, no sign of life even. Itachi's instincts were screaming 'Ambush' but he stayed his hand. A white-haired with pearlescent grey eyes seemingly appeared out of nowhere and nearly received a kunai through the heart because of it. Luckily for him, Itachi never acted without meaning to.

"Ah, Filius Flitwick, Willow with a Unicorn Tail, a bit on the flexible side, excellent for charms work. How is it after all these years?" the grey-eyed man asked in a whispery voice.

"Still as good as the day I bought it, Olivander."

"Good, good. Now, who do we have here?"

Itachi recognized that this man had power, what type he didn't know, but it was power, so he bowed his head respectfully as he introduced himself, "Itachi Uchiha."

"Hm, first in your family to receive one of my wands? Yes, yes," he muttered the last bit. Before Itachi could respond, Olivander continued, "Let's try a Maple with Dragon Heartstring, twelve inches."

The Uchiha grabbed the wand and gave a swing. A few papers on the counter caught fire. Itachi smirked.

"No, no, let's try this one. Nine inches, yew, unicorn hair."

Itachi repeated the action. The entire counter caught fire. He smiled.

The process repeated a few times, with various things combusting. This made Itachi very happy. Eventually, Olivander gave him a ten and one quarter wand made of elder wood with a core of dragon heartstring. When Itachi picked it up and swished it, after the other two took cover of course, he felt a comfortable warmth travel up his arm and spread out through his being. Once again there was a fire, but rather than destroying something this stayed in front of him and swirled in a breath-taking dance.

"I see we found you your wand, and one that matches exceedingly well with you, at that. This particular wand is good for complex charms. That will be seven galleons, please."

After handing over the required amount of gold, Itachi and Flitwick left the shop. Their next destination was Madam Malkin's for robes. He placed a custom order for acromantula silk with extra maneuverability, which he would pick up and pay for the next day. He decided to purchase a trunk the next day as well, seeing as how he was interested in the options they had available and didn't want to take advantage of Flitwick's, or more accurately Hogwarts', generosity. The bookstore, the location Itachi was looking forward to most, followed a quick run through the potion supply store. There, he picked out a large number of books on a variety of topics, which he purchase the next day as well. It was dusk when they left, after buying the required literature.

"Well, I would say that was a productive day," Flitwick said with a smile.

"Yes, it was. Thank you for taking me and explaining so much."

"Not at all, my boy, I was happy to do so. Now, just grab on to my arm and I'll take you home."

Remembering the portkey, he did so. Moments later they disappeared with a small crack and reappeared in front of his house. "That was called apparition, you'll learn to do that during your sixth year. It was nice to meet you and I look forward to teaching you this year. Alas, I must be off. I look forward to seeing you in class, Itachi. One last thing, to get on the platform you must walk through the pillar that separates platforms nine and ten." Before Itachi could respond, Flitwick had disappeared with another crack. He hurried inside, he had much to do.

The next day he returned to Diagon Alley and, after exchanging some of his stolen pounds into Galleons, purchased as many useful looking texts as he could. The shopkeeper was even kind enough to shrink his purchase for him; all he had to do when he returned to his home was tap them with his wand to return them to normal. That's when the real work began.

With a multitude of books to read on subjects ranging from Astronomy to Wards, with some very theory heavy topics in between, September first came rapidly. With the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu he was able to get a decent understanding of all of the core subjects offered at Hogwarts and a more-than-substantial understanding of most of the other subjects he had available, even if he could only safely make one clone. While he didn't actually cast any spells, not wanting to risk detection, he did go through the motions and practice the pronunciation of many first and some second year spells.

One of the more useful topics he covered was Rune-Based Wards; very similar to Seal-Based Wards and supposedly casting them was undetectable. Unfortunately the books he had didn't offer enough information to be practical, but if he could learn more than he had yet another method of protecting his home, and thereby himself.

King's Cross Station was not what he expected. After seeing the Leaky Cauldron and reading how the magical community preferred isolating themselves from their Muggle counterparts, Itachi expected either a magical-only station or a run-down, unpopular one. Instead Muggles were everywhere. There were more people here than the entirety of Diagon Alley both times he had visited. _Making it through the barrier without being noticed may be difficult, but if the entire school population can do it with no stealth training it should be easier than it seems. Perhaps there's a charm that distracts the Muggles from noticing us._

He strode purposefully towards platforms nine and ten, head forward and eyes only moving enough to prevent a collision. No one would suspect him of doing anything but heading to his train. Upon reaching the barrier, Itachi activated his Sharingan. There was magic of some sort where Flitwick had told him the barrier was, but nowhere else. Clearly he was at the right spot, with fifteen minutes to spare.

After gathering his courage and forming an excuse in case the wall actually was solid, he walked into the wall, only to pass through safely. Letting out a small sigh of relief, Itachi gazed upon the newly revealed platform. It was crowded, but nowhere close to the rest of King's Cross. Families were tearfully saying their goodbyes while a few students ran around trying to find their friends. A large, red steam-powered train sat in the background, attracting attention in a gentle yet demanding way. Gold letters on a wooden background labeled it as the Hogwarts Express.

Itachi walked briskly to the train, having no need to stand around with no family of his own, a fact that made his heart clench. Once onboard he made his way to an empty compartment and stowed his trunk, a task made easy with his stronger-than-average physique. He pulled out a copy of _The Many Uses of Charms_and sat down to read. The book, as its name suggested, outlined multiple ways the subject of Charms could be used and offered a few example spells as well as referenced books for more detailed content. Inside he had come across sense-altering charms and was eager to see if he could combine them with his Genjutsu to create more powerful and more realistic illusions, but so far it appeared he would need to find copies of the referenced books.

A few minutes before eleven, someone knocked on the door. He looked up to see who it was. Standing in the entryway was a short, slightly pale girl about his age with dark red hair that trailed past her shoulders and covered her forehead, shining, deep green eyes and pink lips. She was dressed in a shabby grey sweatshirt and torn blue jeans. Both looked to be several sizes too big for her.

"Um, excuse me, would you mind if I sit here?" she asked in a small voice, but managed to maintain eye contact.

"Not at all, make yourself comfortable," he replied coolly.

She immediately smiled and her eyes brightened even more than they were before. With an ecstatic 'thanks,' she began to make her way in, only to have difficulty placing her trunk on the luggage rack.

Itachi put his book down, stood and asked, "Would you like some help?"

The girl nodded slightly. "That'd be great, thank you."

Like he did with his own, hers was easily lifted and placed gently upon the rack. Satisfied with his efforts he sat down and picked up his book again. She sat across from him and placed her hands on her lap. She was radiating excitement and was rolling her feet back and forth.

"So," she said, drawing out the 'oh' sound longer than normal, "are you a first year, too?"

"Yes, I am. I am Itachi Uchiha," he answered, not looking up from his book.

"Oh, sorry, I'm Rose Potter." The girl looked at him as if she was nervous about how he would react.

Looking up but remaining stoic, Itachi replied with a, "It's a pleasure to meet you," then went back to his book.

They were spared any potential awkward silences when the door opened and a scrawny boy with orange-red hair entered. Freckles covered his face and his brown eyes announced his unease to the world. His maroon sweater and khaki pants were worn, but still in decent condition.

"Do you mind if I sit here, everywhere else is full?" he asked, looking more at Itachi than Rose.

Seeing as Itachi didn't appear to have heard, Rose answered, "Not at all."

With a quick 'thanks,' much louder than Rose's earlier exclamation, he quickly entered and put his trunk up, though not without great difficulty. He sat on the side with Itachi, but far enough away so as not to intrude upon Itachi's personal space.

"I'm Ron Weasley."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Rose Potter," she glanced at Itachi, who was still reading, then continued, "and that's Itachi Uchiha."

"Blimey, do you really have it? The scar?" he asked, his eyes wide and staring at her forehead.

Rose shrank a bit, unnoticeable to most, but not Itachi.

"Rather soon to ask such a personal question, is it not?" he asked.

Ron blushed and began to splutter an apology, but was silenced by Rose, who did not want to lose a potential friend so quickly.

"It's alright, and yes I do," she said as she moved her bangs out of the way of her lightning-bolt shaped scar above her right eye.

"Wicked," the red-headed male whispered, entranced by the oddly shaped scar. After a minute or two of staring, he was apparently satisfied that said scar was real and not going to disappear. "So what house do you think you'll be in? I'm going to be in Gryffindor, everyone in my family has been."

Rose looked confused and glanced at Itachi to see if he knew what Ron was talking about. He did, as he answered, "Probably Ravenclaw or Slytherin. I have qualities of a Hufflepuff and a Gryffindor, but I don't think I belong in either."

Rose assumed that 'Gryffindor', 'Slytherin', 'Ravenclaw', and 'Hufflepuff' were different 'teams' of Hogwarts based off personality traits. Hagrid had mentioned her parents were Gryffindors and the blonde haired boy from Madam Malkin's talked about Slytherin.

"Why would you want to be a slimy snake? They're evil!" Ron declared loudly, outraged at the villain he had been sitting next to. "And why the bloody hell are you reading! We don't have homework yet!"

"That's stereotyping. You don't honestly believe that an eleven year old is evil, do you? And if all people from Slytherin turn evil, why not abolish the house? Simple, it's not true. And I am reading to gain information; you never know when you may need to know something. Also, I do believe you interrupted Ms. Potter."

Ron turned red with rage, and began grumbling about 'evil Slytherin gits.'

Slightly perturbed by her fellow red-head's behavior, Rose stated her opinion, "I think Gryffindor, both my parents were."

Itachi nodded, but countered, "But not all children follow their parents, you could just as easily be a Ravenclaw. You appear quite intelligent, given that you seemed to have pieced together what the 'houses' we were discussing were."

Rose blushed at the compliment, not used to receiving them. There was another knock on the door. This time there were two people, an average looking boy, a bit on the portly side, and a bushy-haired girl with buck teeth. They were both dressed in their school robes, but with the school crest, showing they had yet to be sorted. The boy was close to tears and looked quite nervous while the girl looked confident, but had a hidden nervousness that Itachi caught.

"Hello, have any of you seen a toad? Neville here has lost one," the girl announced, head held high as she looked down to the occupants of the compartment.

Ron shook his head and went back to grumbling. Rose responded with a sincere, "Sorry, but no."

Itachi, however, gave an easy solution, "No, but have you asked an older student to summon it? I read about summoning charms in this book earlier."

Neville thanked him quietly then went off to find an older student. The girl remained behind.

"What book is that, I don't think that was on the book list. I'd have read it if it was. I'm Hermione Granger, by the way."

"Itachi Uchiha and this is _The Many Uses of Charms_. It's not part of the book list, but it looked interesting so I picked it up."

"Do you think I could borrow it?" Hermione asked, a strange gleam in her eye.

"We'll see," Itachi answered, not looking up.

The bushy-haired girl looked a bit downtrodden then turned to the other people present. "Aren't you going to introduce yourselves?"

"Oh sorry, I'm Rose Potter," the sitting female said, embarrassed about being rude.

"Are you really? I've read about you in _The Downfall of the Dark_and the_Greatest Witched and Wizards of the Twentieth Century._"

Rose shifted uncomfortably, "I didn't know I was in books…"

"Really, then how do they know what happened that night?" Hermione asked skeptically.

"Obviously they don't and simply procured their own theories with Ms. Potter's name attached," Itachi stated calmly.

"That's absurd, they wouldn't lie in books!" Hermione practically shouted.

Itachi raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure? By all accounts only one person was left alive and she just admitted to not knowing she was in the books, which implies she wasn't interviewed for them. Ergo, they lied in books."

Hermione spluttered for a moment then left the compartment. Rose relaxed now that the night of her parents' murders was no longer being discussed. Ron, meanwhile, was eating a sandwich he had taken out of…somewhere during the conversation. He seemed content with focusing on his food and not the credibility of something as disgusting as _books._

They went back to conversing, well Rose went back to talking with Ron while Itachi commented every once in a while, often either presenting a different point of view or playing Devil's Advocate. Not that she would admit this out loud, but Rose much preferred Itachi to Ron. Itachi was cool, polite and intelligent. He would ask her opinion, ask why and if he disagreed he would point out flaws and explain why he thought the way he did. Plus he possessed a mysterious aura that demanded she learn as much about him as she could.

The group had been involved in a heated discussion on Quidditch, i.e. Ron was championing the Chudley Cannons and explaining the 'logic' of how even though they had yet to have a winning season they were going to go win the National League Cup this year, when, to the relief of the other two, the door slid open and a kindly old woman asked, "Anything off the trolley, dears?"

With his arms still in the air from his 'dramatic' gesturing, Ron turned and declined, though his stomach grumbled. Feeling a bit bad for him, Rose decided to purchase a few snacks she could share, plus she did want to try wizarding sweets. She ended up ordering one of each since she couldn't pick which ones she wanted, not that she knew what was what anyway. Itachi ended up not ordering anything once he saw the didn't have pocky or anything resembling it.

Ron was in the middle of explaining something about some candy, though what and which neither Rose nor Itachi knew, as the boy was holding two different types in his hand and was chewing on a third as he spoke, when the door opened again. A pale, blonde haired boy in silk school robes flanked by two overly large boys now stood in the doorway.

"I heard Rose Potter was on the train, is she here?" the blonde haired boy announced, sneering in disgust at Ron.

"I'm Rose Potter," said girl responded, slightly wary of the boy as he had seemed like her bully of a cousin when she encountered him at Madam Malkin's.

"I am Draco Malfoy, heir to the Ancient and Noble House of Malfoy. These are Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. You will learn that in the Wizarding World, some families are better than others, I can help you there," the boy proclaimed, sticking out his hand.

Ron looked at Draco in anger, glaring heatedly at the blonde. Rose wanted to keep her distance, but didn't want to make enemies, especially before even arriving at school. Therefore, she grabbed his hand and shook.

"I'm sure you could, but I would prefer to find out for myself. I wouldn't want to act prematurely I'm sure you can understand."

Draco looked torn between being affronted that she didn't accept his offer and being surprised that she didn't reject it. He compromised with a nod. "A very practical decision, I look forward to your decision. Now who are you?"

"I'm Ron…"

"Not you, you idiot!" Malfoy snapped. "Red hair and hand me down clothes you have to be a Weasley. No, I meant him" Malfoy gestured at Itachi as Ron fumed and Rose was regretting being polite.

"Itachi Uchiha," Itachi stated, looking up from his book.

"Uchiha, I don't recognize the name."

"I doubt you would. I just recently moved to Britain and am the first of my family to leave our home."

Malfoy nodded; Itachi hadn't mentioned his blood status and he did act more like a pureblood than a mudblood, so he decided to tread carefully should the Uchiha belong to an Ancient and Noble House.

"A pleasure. Well, my friends and I should be leaving for our own cabin."

With that, the three turned and left. Ron, who had been containing his rage, exploded. "What the hell was that? Why were you talking with him? He's a slimy snake!"

Both Itachi narrowed his eyes slightly and Rose looked at him questioningly. The female in the group stated, "It was smarter to be nice than to make him an enemy."

"Well, it won't matter if you're in Gryffindor! Gryffindors and snakes always hate each other!"

Before an argument could escalate there was an announcement stating Hogwarts was fifteen minutes away. Itachi stood up, uniform in hand, and grabbed Ron, dragging him to his feet.

"What the hell?" the red-head shouted.

Itachi responded coldly, "Rose is a female, we are male. We are leaving so she can change in privacy."

Rose was happy at the courtesy. Ron obviously didn't understand, "But there are two of us, shouldn't she leave?"

Inwardly shaking his head, Itachi decided it wasn't worth the effort to argue and merely continued dragging him, "We're leaving. Get over it."

Once the train arrived the trio debarked. Itachi noticed Rose stood closer to him than Ron, though he wasn't sure if it was purposeful or accidental. He had no time to ponder it as a large man, easily over ten feet tall, with long shaggy hair and beard, was calling for the first years. As they got close, he called out, "Hey, Rose, enjoy the ride?"

"Yeah, I did Hagrid, thanks for asking," Rose answered cheerfully.

"That's good; now get going to a boat, no more than four in though," Hagrid dismissed them, waving.

It appeared Ron didn't want to ride with the 'Uchiha git' as he got in a boat with three other guys. Rose shrugged her shoulders and pointed out one that had two girls in it. Itachi gestured that that was fine. The two approached the targeted boat and Rose asked the two girls, "Would you mind if we shared the boat with you?"

The two girls looked at each other then back at Rose. One of them had long, straight, blonde hair that stopped around her mid-back. She had fair skin, icy blue eyes and dark pink lips. Her face was set in a neutral expression, like a female Itachi, Rose thought with a smirk. The other had wavy brown hair that stopped at her shoulders, brown eyes that glistened even in the darkness, and red lips upturned in a smile. The brunette replied, "Go for it we don't mind."

Both Itachi and Rose thanked them and got in. Raised in a noble clan, Itachi helped Rose in. Eager to make some female friends, she asked them, "So, I'm Rose Potter, this is Itachi Uchiha. What are your names, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Not at all," said the brunette, "I'm Tracy Davis and this energetic young woman beside me is Daphne Greengrass."

Rose laughed as Daphne glared at Tracey. "It looks like we both know someone like that."

Tracey laughed, "I'll trade you mine for yours."

Daphne heightened her glare and Rose laughed harder.

"Heads down everyone!" Hagrid called out.

After avoiding the low-hanging branch, the first years got their first look at Hogwarts. There was a collective gasp as they saw it. A full moon shone behind the silhouette of the medieval castle, yellow light from the windows contrasted majestically with the deep blue of the sky and whites of the stars. The lake reflected the glory in a nearly perfect mirror image.

All too soon they arrived on shore. The trek up to the castle was silent, each thinking of the challenges they would soon face. Hagrid pounded on the gates and the massive wooden doors swung open. They had arrived at Hogwarts.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Thanks for the reviews. **

**I don't own anything.**

Into a cavernous hall the students were led, grouped together tightly, as if by separating from the group they would be left behind. The walls were decorated with medieval knight's armor in pristine condition. Their weapons, mainly swords and maces, were in hand. Empty visors stared at the passing eleven-year olds, daring them to cause a disturbance. Several gulps were heard. After an arduous march they reached another set of wooden doors, smaller than the main gates, but still oppressively large.

The silence was broken suddenly, making a handful of students jump slightly, by Hagrid, "Now just wait 'ere fer Professer McGonagall."

With that, the gargantuan man turned and proceeded down the corridor. The first years turned and began talking with each other in hushed voices. Well, mostly hushed. A voice that sounded familiar to Rose and Itachi was claiming, quite loudly, that they would have to beat a troll to be sorted. Itachi scoffed internally, _what idiots, how would untrained children defeat a troll? Do they not think at all?_

Rose didn't have similar thoughts as she turned to Itachi, gently pulled on his sleeve to get his attention, and asked, "We don't really have to fight a troll, do we?"

"I doubt we do, it would be rather foolish to have students that have yet to have a single class challenge a troll," he responded. He didn't understand why, though. Normally he would simply have said 'no' then turned away, but something about this girl made him want to assuage her fears.

His attempt worked, as tension left her shoulders and she slumped slightly in relief. "That's good, I was afraid I would fail and be sent back…" she trailed off, disbelieving that she had nearly mentioned the Dursley's. "Anyway, can you promise that, no matter what houses we're sorted in, we'll still be friends? You're my first friend. I mean, my first friend at Hogwarts."

Seeing her flustered caused Itachi to smile gently, "I promise."

Their conversation was cut short when a stern looking, greying witch walked calmly between them and the doors. She was dressed in dark green formal robes and a pointed hat, the type seen on Muggle interpretations of witches, of the same color. She slowly passed her eyes over each and every student, most wilting under her gaze. She cleared her throat and addressed them, "Welcome to Hogwarts. In a few minutes you will be called into the Great Hall, beyond these doors, where you will be sorted into one of four houses. These houses will be your family for the next seven years, and you will be able to earn points for your family by performing well in class. Likewise, you will be able to lose points for your family by acting out in class and breaking rules at any time.

"The houses are: Gryffindor, for only the bravest; Ravenclaw, for those that pride their intellect over all else; Hufflepuff, for those that will work unyieldingly to accomplish their goals; and Slytherin, for those that dream of being great. While each house has its advantages, none is better than another. You will be sorted into the house you fit with best. Because this will be when you make your first impression on not only your future house, but also the staff and every other student, I suggest you straighten up."

There was a moment of silence then excited chattering broke out. Ron was loudly declaring that he would be a Gryffindor and Malfoy was guaranteeing he would make Slytherin and that anything else would be an insult resulting in him withdrawing from Hogwarts. Rose was inwardly panicking, what if she didn't belong to any house? What if they sent her back to the Dursley's, saying she didn't belong in the world of magic? Itachi was collected; this was nothing he didn't know. Hermione was going over everything she read, reciting spells and twirling an imaginary wand.

Someone screamed, followed quickly by others. As one, the students twirled, only to see four translucent figures floating slowly through the air. A few students, most likely half- or purebloods, scoffed and muttered, "Only ghosts." The ghosts were discussing someone that had apparently done something wrong, as the fattest was preaching forgiveness. He was dressed in old robes that monks were famous for and had no hair on the top of his head. Noticing they weren't alone, the ghost idly said, "Oh look, new students. I hope to see you in Hufflepuff, my old house that was." With that, the floating beings drifted through the wall into the Great Hall.

The first-years just stared where the ghosts travelled through, not having any idea how to respond to the strange, sentient ectoplasm. Luckily for them, the doors opened and they were called in. Four large tables of a deep mahogany, each packed with students dressed in black, rested perpendicular to a fifth table, where the staff sat. Gold plates and jeweled goblets at every seat were easily visible to the first years. The sky, a rich violet with a few lazy clouds and countless white stars, was visible, though if one looked closely they could see the outline of the roof. Eager to prove her superiority, Hermione was explaining that it was enchanted, and she knew because she read _Hogwarts, A History_.

Once they reached the center of the hall, they stopped. In front of the staff table was a wooden stool with a hat similar to the one McGonagall wore, only a few centuries older. There were a couple of patches and one long crease that gave the hat a face-like look. Once they noticed there was no troll, a few students glared at Ron, who replied that it wasn't his fault, it was Fred's. Who Fred was, they didn't know. Beside the hat stood Professor McGonagall, an unfurled scroll in her hand.

She cleared her throat. Immediately all noise in the hall stopped. A second of silence was all there was before the hat began shaking itself. Loosened up, the crease opened and the hat began…singing?

"_Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,  
>But don't judge on what you see,<br>I'll eat myself if you can find  
>A smarter hat than me.<em>

_You can keep your bowlers black,  
>Your top hats sleek and tall,<br>For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat  
>And I can top them all.<br>There's nothing hidden in your head  
>The Sorting Hat can't see,<br>So try me on and I will tell you  
>Where you ought to be.<br>You might belong in Gryffindor,  
>Where dwell the brave at heart,<br>Their daring, nerve and chivalry  
>Set Gryffindors apart;<br>You might belong in Hufflepuff,  
>Where they are just and loyal,<br>Those patient Hufflepuffs are true  
>And unafraid of toil;<br>Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,  
>If you've a steady mind,<br>Where those of wit and learning,  
>Will always find their kind;<br>Or perhaps in Slytherin  
>You'll make your real friends,<br>Those cunning folk use any means  
>To achieve their ends.<br>So put me on! Don't be afraid!  
>And don't get in a flap!<br>You're in safe hands (though I have none)  
>For I'm a Thinking Cap!"<em>

"When I call your name, please proceed to the stool and place the hat on your head. When it calls out a house, please quickly walk to that house's table."

Itachi paid just enough attention to the sorting to be able to recognize the names, faces and houses of each student, but focused more on the staff. At the center of the staff table, dressed in bright purple robes with multi-colored stars, was the oldest man Itachi had ever seen. The man had long hair and a beard that matched it, how long was unknown, as it easily reached below the table. He easily made the Sandaime Hokage look young and beardless. Half-rimmed glasses covered bright blue eyes that possessed a twinkle visible even at a distance. He was recognized as Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts, among quite a few other titles. Despite his elderly appearance, Itachi had no doubts that he was powerful. The man's gaze travelled over seemingly every student; his lips would twitch either up or down at each in response to his thoughts on them.

"Davis, Tracey."

"Slytherin!"

To his right was Professor Flitwick, he was bouncing in his seat, though whether it was in anticipation of the Sorting or the feast was undetermined. Hagrid sat on the far edge with an empty seat to his left, most likely McGonagall's. The man was dinking from a large mug, its contents spilling down his beard. On Dumbledore's left was an overweight and cheerful woman in yellow robes. The woman was Professor Sprout, Head of Hufflepuff and the Herbology teacher. She was chatting softly with the woman on her left. The woman seemed quite beautiful, her skin a gentle tan, her regal face wouldn't be out of place on a princess; she smiled slightly at Sprout's comments.

"Greengrass, Daphne."

"Slytherin!"

Next was a man in a purple turban with shifty eyes. He was scanning the first-years, possibly looking for someone. Every so often his head would snap in a direction, signs of either post-traumatic stress or paranoia. At the left end of the table was Professor Snape, one of the most highly respected Potions Masters from Britain. His jet black hair was gelled back contrasted with his pale white face. His black robes completed the image of someone that shouldn't be crossed. He was glaring at the first years, silently accusing them of wasting his time.

His observations were put on hold when McGonagall called out, "Potter, Rose." Whispers erupted from the students, fingers were pointed, heads turned. Even the staff perked up. Itachi noticed that she was uncomfortable with the attention as she approached the hat. She tried to hide it, but her uneven steps and the occasional head twitch, signifying that she was refraining from looking around, betrayed her. Not that Itachi could blame her; he knew just how disconcerting it was to have the complete attention from hundreds of strangers from back in Konoha. She sat on the stool and gingerly put the hat on her head. It slid down to cover her eyes at an angle. She chewed on her lip and gripped her robes tightly. Two minutes passed, three. Murmurs that had paused when she sat down grew again, this time wondering what was taking so long. Rose's already light skin drained a bit of color. _What could be going on? Is she_talking _with the hat?_

He face reddened slightly, and her grip, that had been from fear, turned to one of anger. The difference was the direction of the knuckles. While she was anxious her hands were leaning back towards her wrists, her knuckles at different direction. When it turned to anger, her hands turned towards the direction she was facing, knuckles angled down slightly and both in the same direction. It was a miniscule detail, but noticing the small things was what separated Genjutsu specialists from everyone else. Moments after she became angry, the hat announced:

"Gryffindor!"

Cheers emanated from the house of the lions, louder than the previous applause. Two identical red-heads leapt on top of the table while shouting, "We got Potter!" as they danced with each other. Rose removed the talking head-wear and half-walked half-ran to her new table, radiating excitement and happiness, though there was a slight hesitance. The twins ran to her and practically dragged her to the table, sitting her down between them. Once Gryffindor settled down, McGonagall continued. There were a relatively few names before Itachi's name was announced.

He strode calmly, his posture one of confidence but stopping short of arrogance, unlike a certain blonde haired boy that was sorted earlier. He sat down and gently placed the hat on his head, not wasting any movement, but not hurrying the action. Unlike most of the previous students, he appeared to be the epitome of relaxed. His face betrayed nothing, his hands rested easily in his lap, his back straight but not rigid. When he heard a voice, he nearly ruined the image he portrayed, but reigned in his shock. _"You're a tough one, that you are,"_the voice said. _"You're brave, yes; your actions have shown that. You're loyal to those you feel deserve it and believe people need to work to gain anything, not have it handed to them. You're intelligent, gaining as much knowledge you can get. You're cunning, not against using underhanded tactics to gain an advantage. And you are quite ambitious; after all, true peace is not a goal for the weak._

_"But, where to put you? That Potter girl was difficult, too, and it was her preference that caused me to decide where to put her. I think a similar option here would work well."_

_"I'm assuming you are the hat, in which case I feel I would work better in Slytherin. Gryffindors are notorious for being in the spot light; Hufflepuffs are generally outgoing; and Ravenclaws prize knowledge but not experience. I work best from the shadows, in Slytherin I will be seen but not noticed."_

_"I see, you've thought this out and I can buy you're arguments, but you are aware your friendship with Miss Potter will be strained, don't you? Gryffindors and Slytherins are rarely ever more than acquaintances with each other. I know only of one instance where one was good friends with the other, but even still, it didn't last."_

_"I have made my decision."_

_"Very well, in that case you will be…"_

"Slytherin!"

The serpent house applauded politely. He chose to sit across from Daphne and Tracey, wishing to delay the inevitable questioning of his blood status. The remaining sorting was rather unspectacular. Once again Itachi questioned the sanity of the wizarding world when Dumbledore began the meal with, "Welcome, to another glorious year that will hopefully be filled with fun, excitement and most of all learning. But I will not delay our wonderful feast any longer than to say: Nitwick! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!"

A variety of food appeared on the tables and an orange liquid appeared in the goblets. Itachi served himself a healthy balance of foods, a bit heavy on the meats, and wondered if they had pocky. He was willing to wait until dessert before he contemplated withdrawing from the school. He, Daphne and Tracey conversed quietly about the different types of magic, which was preferred, and which classes were most looked forward to.

Regardless of his seat, an upper year eventually questioned his parentage. He sighed softly and used half-truths to convince them that he was a pureblood from a small island in Asia while never outright claiming that he was. They accepted it then moved on with their own conversations.

Dinner ended, as well as dessert, although there was no pocky yet again to Itachi's consternation. Dumbledore proceeded with his start of year announcements, "Now that we are all fed and watered, I shall be making a few announcements, the first of which is to welcome Professor Quirinus Quirrell as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Secondly, the Forbidden Forest is, as its name suggests is forbidden. A few of you would do well to remember that," he eyed the Gryffindor table. "Next, Mr. Filch has asked me to inform you that the list of banned items is on the door to his office. As it is up to four hundred and thirteen, I believe, I suggest you take the time to read over it. And lastly, the third floor corridor is off limits to everyone that does not wish to die a most painful death. Thank you. Prefects please lead the first years to their new common rooms. Now, trot, trot."

The Slytherin prefects led them to the dungeons. The common room was disappointing. Cold stone walls and a collection of silver and green banners were all that greeted them. There were seven corridors, each with a roman numeral ranging from 'I' to 'VII' written in silver above the entryway.

The prefects faced the first years, "Welcome to Slytherin, the greatest of the four houses. Professor McGonagall probably spewed some nonsense about the houses being equal. She is wrong. While each house does have its advantages and accomplishments, Slytherin has more. At least one of us in each year is in the top five of their class rankings. Usually there are multiple of us. Therefore, there is no reason for you to fail.

"Slytherin has a history of having the most powerful graduates. I am not talking only magical power, but political and sociological strength as well. We have had the most Ministers, the most ambassadors, and the most department heads. Whatever one of us decides to do, we are the best at it.

"Because of this, we aren't popular with the other houses. Ravenclaw respects us, Hufflepuff fears us, and Gryffindor envies us. They will slander us, hate us. We must remain strong or they will break us. Our strength is our unified numbers. No matter what your personal opinion of your housemates is any issue you have with them ends when you leave the common room. For your safety, never travel alone.

"Others will say Professor Snape favors us. This is not true. We earn the grades we receive. While he won't criticize you in public like he will with the other houses, in private he will punish you. Do not act out.

"Now, you will receive your schedules tomorrow at breakfast. Be down here at six forty five, or we will leave to the Great Hall without you. Have a nice night."

Whereas the common room was Spartan, the dorms were not. Each student received their own room, complete with high quality dressers, wardrobes and a full body mirror. The bed was queen size, with dark green silk sheets and a Slytherin-themed blanket. The first year dorms started down the same corridor then branched off into two separate ones, one for males, one for females. He picked one closest to the main corridor for quicker access to the exit should he need it. Each room came with a collection of books on security, including wards, charms, runes and transfiguration, implying that each student was responsible for keeping unwanted visitors out of their rooms. This suited Itachi fine; he was planning on securing his belongings anyway. He would need to research magical methods quickly so he would have more easily explainable methods than his security seal.

Thursday morning came quickly and Itachi walked into the common room one minute before the departure time. The other first years were already present. He silently stood near Daphne and Tracey, who were conversing about their ideas for protecting their rooms. Daphne would present practical ideas, such as the ever-popular charm that prevented males from entering. Tracey would present equally practical if more ridiculous ideas, such as animating and charming a stone alligator to attack anyone that they didn't want in. Daphne would then stare at Tracey. The process repeated, with stare fluctuating between frustrated, annoyed, incredulous and resigned.

At quarter to seven the prefects emerged and left the common room. The first years followed in an orderly manner, befitting the Noble House of Slytherin. The Great Hall was mostly empty, only a few morning people at each table waiting for breakfast to start at seven. As they sat food appeared. It was quite amazing how it took them exactly fifteen minutes to walk from the dungeons to the Great Hall. Itachi idly wondered if the other houses were a similar distance. Snape swept into the Hall and to the head of the Slytherin table. Rather than hand out the schedules, he lazily flicked his wand and the papers flew to their owners. Itachi was impressed with the efficiency his Head of House showed.

His first class was Transfiguration with the Gryffindors that afternoon at two thirty. He noticed that most of their classes were with Gryffindor, which didn't make that much sense if there was as much conflict between them as there seemed to be. Not that it bothered him; he would get to see Rose, his first magical friend. That was offset by the fact that he would see Ron, who, if his attitude from the previous day was any indication, would be a major annoyance. He finished eating and waited for the two girls to finish as well. Once they had enough, he asked if they would like to explore the castle with him, so that they would be less likely to get lost in the future.

"Sure, that would be a smart move," Tracey answered for the pair.

The castle was impressive, both inside and out. The interior was large, but confined in a way that was neither daunting nor overbearing. _Quite masterfully done. A nice blend between artistic and functional, truly one of a kind. And the little quirks thrown in, like the moving staircases, keep things interesting._The grounds themselves were magnificent. Mostly gently sloping hills with the occasional flat field make for an aesthetically pleasing view as well as a safe area for children to entertain themselves, yet spacious enough so that those that just want to relax can do so without fearing that a stray ball will interrupt them. The Black Lake was in a prime location: near enough so that students could frequent it yet distant enough to seem like they were getting away from the school.

After a couple hours of exploring, the trio returned to their dorms to prepare for class. Once again the Slytherin first years followed a prefect to their destination. They arrived a few minutes before class, allowing enough time for them to get comfortably situated. The room was set up so that two people sat at each table facing the front of the room, where McGonagall's desk was located. On her desk sat a gray tabby cat. Daphne and Tracey sat together in the front of the class, with Itachi behind them. Malfoy sat with Pansy Parkinson, Crabbe with Goyle, and Blaise Zabini with Millicent Bulstrode. Hermione Granger sat alone at the other desk in the front, books and parchment arrayed neatly in front of her. The other Gryffindors sat behind her.

Two thirty came. The class stilled. The cat eyed the door.

Two thirty one. The class looked around. The cat stayed still.

Two thirty two. The class fidgeted. The cat remained motionless.

Two thirty three. The class was visibly uncomfortable. The cat maintained its vigil.

Two thirty four. The class was now nervous. The cat twitched slightly.

The door slammed open. A panting and sweaty Ron and a less tired Rose finally arrived at class. Ron celebrated, "Woo! Made it before McGonagall!"

The cat leapt of the table, and transformed into the missing professor.

"Wicked!" exclaimed Ron.

"Thank you, Mr. Weasley. Next time, try to make it on time or I shall be force to transfigure you into a pocket watch."

"But it's not our fault we got lost," he said.

"Perhaps a map then. Now take a seat."

Rose was already doing so, as she had spotted the empty seat at Itachi's table. He nodded at her in greeting and she smiled faintly, still winded from running to class. Ron decided to cut his losses and do as he was told. The only seat was next to Hermione and he dejectedly sat in it. She sent him a disapproving glance, appalled that not only would he show up late to class, on the first day nonetheless, but also talk back to the teacher after doing so.

"Transfiguration is not a subject to be taken lightly. Therefore, I will not tolerate any misbehavior. If you cannot be serious, I will remove you from this class.

"Transfiguration is the art of changing something into something else. Observe."

McGonagall waved her wand and her desk turned into a pig. Another wave retuned it to normal.

"This art takes years of practice and the utmost concentration. Do not be frustrated if you can't seem to do make the transformation right at first. No one in the last century, and likely in history, transfigures everything perfectly the first time. It is a complicated branch of magic and so long as you perform to the best of your capabilities, I will help you.

"For the first lesson, we will start by reading the first chapter of _A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration_and practicing changing a matchstick into a needle. You are allowed to work with the other person at your table; however I expect both of you to make an equal effort towards completing the task. Begin."

Although he had already read the section, he did do again to refresh his memory. The gist of what was written was that the most important thing in Transfiguration is visualization, followed by wand motion, pronunciation and enunciation. After reading the directions multiple times, practicing the incantation, and going through the wand motion, he tried transfiguring the match.

Nothing happened.

Unperturbed, Itachi tried again. It changed slightly; the match now had streaks of silver. Rose was having similar results, but was a little peeved. _The book emphasized the importance of visualization, but didn't clarify what to visualize. Is it the match, the needle, or the match changing into the needle? Perhaps it is something I haven't thought of._ He attempted a few more times, not making very much progress, only adding a few more streaks.

"Any ideas, Rose?" he asked.

She grumbled, "No, I don't get why it won't change. I think I'm doing as the book says. Here, watch what I'm doing and see if I'm doing it right."

The girl repeated her previous actions. Itachi couldn't see any flaws. "Well, it seems like you're performing correctly. What are you thinking when you cast?"

After a moment of thought, she answered, "I'm thinking of the spell and the wand movement. Why?"

"According to the book, you must use visualization. Try thinking of the match turning into a needle." Itachi suggested, going with his most likely theory.

"It's worth a shot…"

Once again Rose targeted her match. This time it changed more; still not a needle, but more of one than her earlier attempts. "Ah, thanks! That's a lot better than what I was doing before! Now let's see you."

Itachi tried again, still not much change. Rose said, "You're a bit off in saying the spell. You seem to have a small accent. That may be your problem."

He nodded his thanks and tried again, focusing on the pronunciation. He was treated to the sight of his matchstick becoming a needle.

Before he could see if it was, McGonagall proclaimed, "Excellent work, Mr. Uchiha. Take ten points for Slytherin for completing the transfiguration."

Itachi nodded his thanks and began working on mastering the spell. A few minutes later the professor called out, "Good job to you as well, Ms. Granger. Take five points for Gryffindor."

Itachi spent the next five minutes assisting Rose with her casting, but she didn't manage to change the match entirely. By the end of the lesson she had made her matchstick thinner, silver and pointy but not completely a needle, earning three points. Daphne and Tracey, having listened to Rose and Itachi, managed to make theirs silver and pointy, each earning two points each. Malfoy changed his a little, as did a few others. Ron barely made a change, as he was busy trying to ignore what Hermione was saying. For homework, they had to write a ten inch essay on the fundamentals of Transfiguration.

As most of the class was leaving, Tracey turned to Itachi, "Hey, Daphne and I were wondering if you'd like to head to the library with us to work on the essay before dinner. You can come too, Rose."

"Sure, I'm fine with that," Itachi replied, nearly monotone.

Rose's response was, unsurprisingly, more cheerful, "Yeah, that sounds like a great idea."

While she was glad to be invited along, she would have been more excited to do something fun. But, she figured, perhaps they could after they completed the assignment. Besides, Ron would probably want to play wizard's chess or gobstones or something after dinner. He may not have made as good of an impression as Itachi, but he seemed to want to be around her, something that rarely happened before, so that made him a friend to her.

The library was enormous. Thousands of books lined hundreds of shelves, covering dozens of subjects. Interspersed among them were different sized desks. The group went to one of the medium sized ones near the Transfiguration section. Between the four and plenty of books on the theory of Transfiguration, writing a well-put-together essay was simple. Daphne and Tracey grew up being taught the basics so they could identify them, Rose had learned the basic steps of essay writing so she organized the essay, and Itachi helped put their ideas into words. They passed their essays amongst themselves to proof read and offer suggestions, and were finished in under an hour, much to Rose's surprise. She figured that since she knew virtually nothing about magic that she would spend countless hours researching and writing numerous drafts.

Since they hadn't been to all their classrooms yet, they decided to continue their exploring from earlier, this time including Rose. During this they talked about themselves, their likes, dislikes, dreams and such.

Tracey turned to face the rest of the group, holding her hands behind her back, and asked, "So what do you all like to do?"

The girls looked at Itachi, so he answered, inwardly cursing their curiosity, "I enjoy reading and doing physical activities. I find practicing martial arts relaxing."

Daphne went next, "Yeah, I feel the same about playing the piano. My mother taught me since I was little, and the music is just so peaceful."

"Piano's nice, but I prefer my guitar. I mean, you can play more of a variety on it. There's rock, American country, blues…" Tracey said.

"You realize piano is used in all of those, right?" Daphne countered, an eyebrow raised in amusement.

"Yeah, but still…"

"Forget it. We were talking about our likes, yes? Well, I also enjoy spending time with my younger sister, Astoria, even if she does act more like Tracey than me."

"Hey, that's a good thing!" Tracey interjected, acting offended. "It would be good for you to lighten up more!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Daphne denied. "Anyway, what about you, Rose?"

The red-head was at a loss. The Dursley's didn't allow her to do much, so her experiences in entertainment were lacking. But she didn't want to say that, afraid of their reactions, so she decided to wing it, "I like spending time outside and watching TV."

Tracey perked up. "Ooh, I love seeing movies! Daphne and I saw at least one a month before school!"

That confused Itachi, as he most of what he read said that Purebloods didn't usually interact with Muggles. "I wouldn't think a Pureblood would know what a movie was, let alone enjoy seeing one."

Daphne opened her mouth to respond, but Tracey cut her off. "I'm a Half-blood. My mommy's a witch and she married my daddy, a Muggle. Even though we live mainly magical, my daddy does show us some Muggle things. And since my mommy and Daphne's were pretty much sisters growing up, we got to go together."

Itachi nodded, "I see, that's understandable."

Daphne then asked Rose, "Why do you know about Muggle entertainment? I would assume that since you are the Girl-Who-Lived you would be living with some powerful Pureblood family or possibly even Dumbledore."

Rose fiddled with her hands nervously, uncomfortable with discussing her home life. "I actually live with my aunt and uncle that are Muggles." Eager to change the subject, she asked, "So are you all excited about flying lessons? It seems like it would be fun."

The other three noticed the abrupt shift, but didn't mention it. Tracey nearly squealed when Rose mentioned she might like flying. "Yes! Flying is so fun, but I usually don't have anyone to fly with since Daphne doesn't like to!"

The blonde scoffed, "Forgive me for not enjoying sitting on a fragile piece of wood at least twenty feet off the ground."

For her mature response, Tracey stuck out her tongue. "Really though, flying is fun as long as you don't do something stupid, like dive really fast at the ground and not give yourself enough time to pull up. If you feel like being an idiot in the air and hitting the ground a lot, join the Quidditch team."

"For once you have an intelligent opinion, Tracey," Daphne smirked. "Seriously, Quidditch has got to be the most annoying game in existence. You have two teams of seven flying around. There are eight people obsessing over one red ball to score ten points, four people trying their best to injure the opposing team with bats and two high speed balls, while the last to do nothing for most of the match, yet often end up winning the game by catching a golden walnut. Ridiculous."

Rose frowned; she thought the game sounded fun, "I don't know, it sounds like it could be interesting."

"If you say so," Tracey said neutrally, not wanting to alienate her new flying buddy. "If I wanted to watch a sport myself, I'd stick with Muggle football. That actually makes sense."

A comfortable silence descended upon the group. They had been to the classrooms of all their classes outside of Potions and Herbology, but it was getting close to dinner so they decided to stop for the day and head to the Great Hall.

Before the silence became awkward, Itachi restarted the conversation, "Do you three have dreams for the future?"

Excited that Itachi wasn't being silent, Tracey answered, "Not really, though I'd like to perform onstage once. I think it'd be neat to have a bunch of people listen to me play guitar and sing."

Daphne took a more serious approach, "My goal is to be a successful spellcrafter. Not only is it a lucrative business, but the creating my own spells seems fascinating."

After a few moments of thought, Rose responded, "I don't know about job wise, but I would like to have a family, you know? Maybe have a few kids to raise."

The others nodded at this; it was a nice thought for the future. "How about you, Itachi?" asked Daphne.

"I'm not sure. I would like to make the world a more peaceful place, but I don't think I want to be part of the government."

Daphne nodded again, her father was constantly mentioning the corruption in the Ministry. They reached the dining room a few minutes after the meal started. The Slytherins said farewell to Rose and went to their table while Rose went to hers. They sat with their fellow first years and got to know them a bit better. Malfoy wasn't as prejudiced as he seemed, he apparently just liked to antagonize the non-Slytherins, because he got along quite well with Tracey, despite her less-than-Pureblood status. Blaise, Millicent, and Pansy weren't really anything special to Itachi. They were polite and offered their opinions, but seemed to have no original opinions.

After dinner, Itachi retired to his dorm, stating he needed to work on securing it, while Daphne and Tracey went to Daphne's, citing the same reason. After finding a charm that did the same thing as his security seal, he cast it, though it was considerably easier to break. Therefore he began researching stronger magical solutions, namely warding. He came up with a few potential ideas before he called it a night.

Friday morning came and with it the first Potions class. Itachi wasn't particularly interested in the topic, he recognized the potential it had but he never liked cooking or mixing poisons. The subject seemed like a combination of the two. Breakfast was a repeat of the previous day, with the exception being Snape not handing out schedules.

As it was their Head's class, the entirety of Slytherin was seated and ready five minutes before class started. Daphne, Tracey and Itachi were seated in a row, second to the back. Rose was next to Ron and two others from her house, Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan, if Itachi recalled correctly. Hermione was next to Neville Longbottom, with Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil on his other side.

At precisely nine o'clock, the doors swung open and Snape strode in, his robes billowing behind him. By the time the doors closed completely he was at the front of the room and began his lesson.

"You are here to learn the subtle and exact art of potions-making. There will be no foolish wand waving in here. As such, I do not expect many of you to enjoy this class; in fact, I expect many of you to despise it. However, for those of you gifted enough in this exquisite science, I will give you the tools necessary to bottle fame, brew glory, and even put a stopper to death."

He paused as his eyes rested on Rose, who was studiously taking notes on his lecture. His eyes softened, but then he moved on, "Weasley! Identify a potion that's main ingredient is monkshood!"

Hermione's hand shot up.

"I don't know one."

"Five points from Gryffindor for disrespect. You should have said, 'I don't know one, _sir,_'" Snape corrected. "Let's try again, where would you find a bezoar?"

Hermione's hand was still in the air.

"I'm not sure, _sir_."

"Pity. Last try, what is another name for the wolfsbane plant?"

"I don't know, but I'm sure Hermione does, so why don't you pick on her?" Ron raged.

"Fifteen points from Gryffindor for your mouth. Perhaps you should consider reading your book before class next time. Moving on, today we shall be brewing a simple boil cure. Even the dunderheads I usually teach should be able to brew this correctly. Instructions are on the board and in your book, page twenty-three. I will collect a sample at the end of the day. Begin."

Class progressed quietly and peacefully for roughly twenty minutes when Neville's cauldron exploded, covering his head and hands in the liquid. Luckily for him, he had yet to heat it so he was only covered in boils rather than scalded. The Gryffindors stood on their chairs to avoid the concoction.

"Weasley, why didn't you stop him from prematurely adding the porcupine quills?"

"But I wasn't…" Ron started before Snape cut him off.

"I don't want to hear it. Take Longbottom to Madam Pomfrey; both of you shall receive a zero for today and I'm taking twenty points from Gryffindor for your inability to help your fellow students."

After Ron and Neville left and the waste was vanished, class proceeded in a rather unspectacular fashion. Every Slytherin except Crabbe and Goyle received perfect marks on their potions. The two that didn't still 'earned' Exceeds Expectations. _I guess they did exceed expectations by not exploding their cauldron,_though Itachi. When Rose turned in her potion, Snape gave her a perfect and muttered under his breath, "Just like Lily."

The Slytherins split with the Gryffindors and attended History of Magic and Herbology with the Ravenclaws. Professor Binns, the ghost that taught History of Magic, spoke in a monotone that put Itachi's to shame. Unlike Itachi, who commanded attention when he spoke, Binns forcefully shoved it away. Not even the ever-studious Ravenclaws made it through the lesson awake. It was only by dividing his attention between listening, reading the required book and taking notes that Itachi didn't fall asleep.

Herbology was rather boring; consisting of tending a magical vine with a tendency to wrap itself around the students' arms. Professor Sprout did seem to enjoy the subject and the lecturing portions were informative. Regardless, it wouldn't make Itachi's top five favorite subjects of all time.

The weekend passed quickly with Itachi spending the mornings exploring the grounds for a suitable location to train and the afternoons with Daphne, Tracey, and occasionally Rose. Sunday night, as he lay in bed, he realized that, although he had only known them five days, he already preferred his friends here to anyone back in Konoha other than his mother and brother. _If I even get the chance, would I want to return to Konoha?_The answer wouldn't come easily and the question haunted him.

Monday had Defense Against the Dark Arts with Hufflepuff. In Itachi's opinion, though it was seconded by most of the school, Quirrell was a stuttering fool. He may have known his topic but he couldn't communicate in the slightest. Although, something didn't feel right about him, but what, Itachi couldn't tell. After suffering through the attempt at a lecture, came Charms with the Hufflepuffs again. Professor Flitwick definitely earned his title of Charms Master, as he could explain the lesson in such detail that practically every student could complete the task by the end of the lesson; even Crabbe and Goyle came close. Itachi excelled at Charms and was always the first to complete the spells.

Flying lessons took place started the third week of term. Naturally the Slytherins were placed with the Gryffindors. The two groups separated as much as they could. Only Rose stood by Itachi, with Tracey and Daphne on the far side of him. Both Malfoy and Ron were declaring their flying prowess; each claiming more ridiculous stunts they had performed, including outflying a Muggle 'heli-flopper.' Neville and Hermione looked nervous and the girl was reciting what she had read in an attempt to calm her nerves and boost her confidence.

"Alright, everyone, today is your first flying lesson. I am Madam Hooch, your instructor for today. Flying can be very dangerous so I expect you to listen to what I say. Now step up to your brooms and say 'Up!'" said a silver-haired woman with gold eyes reminiscent of a hawk's.

The class did as ordered, only Malfoy, Rose and Itachi got their brooms to rise into their hands on the first try. Neville's shook on the ground and Ron's smacked him in the face, eliciting laughs from the other first years. Once everyone had the brooms in hand, Hooch continued.

"Now, mount your brooms like so." She demonstrated the proper mounting technique and the class followed suit. Neville ascended further than was requested.

"Mr. Longbottom, return to the ground this instant! Mr. Longbottom!"

In a spectacular show of talent, he lost control of his broom. It launched from underneath him, rocketing a fair distance away. Neville was just as smooth; he dropped in a perfectly straight line, landing gracefully on his right arm with a snap. The entirety of the class rushed over to him.

Hooch examined his arm, "Oh boy, a broken wrist. Class, I will take Mr. Longbottom to the Hospital Wing; you are not to leave the ground while I am gone."

Once she left, Malfoy showcased a glass globe. "Hey, look what 'Fatbottom' dropped!"

Parvati challenged him, "That's Neville's, Malfoy, leave it alone."

"Really, Patil, you actually care for that lump of lard?"

_He seems to enjoy provoking reactions out of the Gryffindors. However, if he begins harming them, I should get him to stop; perhaps sending Zabini to tell him it's un-Slytherin._

Rose, who had been further away now saw Malfoy with Neville's Remembral. "Give it here, Malfoy."

The blond turned to Rose and sneered. "I don't think I will. I think I'll leave it somewhere for him to find it, perhaps the roof." He grabbed a broom and flew into the air.

"Rose, don't do it! You heard Madam Hooch!" Hermione urged.

Rose paid her no mind and followed Malfoy. "You're all alone up here, Malfoy. Now give it to me!"

Malfoy paled slightly as he realized she was correct, but quickly regained his confidence and smirked deviously. "Catch it if you can, Potter!"

He threw the ball as hard as he could. Rose chased after it. The orb raced towards the ground, with Rose right behind. Ten feet, five feet, four, three, two. She caught it with less than a foot to spare. The Gyffindors swarmed her, cheering for the heroic stunt.

"Ms. Potter! Never in all my years of Hogwarts have I seen such a…!" McGonagall shouted, incensed. "Come with me."

"But Professor, it wasn't her fault!" objected Hermione.

"Malfoy started it!" claimed Lavender.

McGonagall didn't budge. Rose reluctantly tossed the Remembral to Ron and followed her Head of House.

Once he got into the rhythm of school, the days seemed shorter and soon it was October Thirty-First. Large pumpkins were used to create friendly-looking jack-o-lanterns, and flocks of bats had somehow taken up residence in the suits of armor that lined the halls. For Itachi the day passed by normally, although Flitwick did give an interesting lesson on the Levitation Charm during the Slytherins Charms class with the Hufflepuffs. The night's feast was extraordinary, with even more desserts than normal. Unfortunately, they still didn't have pocky. _I'm going to have to find a way to get some. Perhaps during winter break, unless I stay here…Maybe I can ask for some for this 'Christmas' holiday. That seems like a good way to stock up._

His planning was interrupted when Quirrell rushed into the Great Hall screaming, "Troll! Troll in the dungeons! Thought you ought to know!" before he passed out. _That has to be the longest I've heard him speak without stuttering,_ Itachi thought.

The students began chattering fearfully; even fully trained wizards had difficulty defeating trolls, after all. Dumbledore put his wand to his jaw and muttered something inaudible. He then cried out, "Quiet!" The students listened and no noise was heard. Dumbledore continued, "Prefects, please lead your housemates back to your common rooms. Slytherin, please proceed to a classroom on the fourth floor. A professor will fetch you after the troll is contained."

With that the students filed out. The rest of the evening was spent conversing with the fist years and a few second years. It was entertaining to procure theories on how a mountain troll entered the school. Students from the darker families blamed Dumbledore and his incompetence, while the more neutral ones had a wider variety, mostly revolving around conspiracies. All in all, it was a memorable night.

The next day Itachi heard rumors about how Rose and Ron and brilliantly fought a long and bloody battle with the troll to rescue a stranded Hermione. Details ranged from her summoning a demon from the pit of Hell to do battle for her to her simply blasting its head off because she had better things to do. One rumor even had the troll run away as soon as it saw the Defeater of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. During Transfiguration, Itachi got the true story from the girl herself: Ron had insulted Hermione after Charms and she spent the day crying in the girls' lavatory. Somehow the troll, who actually _wasn't_ in the dungeons, entered the room. Rose and Ron, who had went to the lavatory to warn Hermione tried to rescue her, only to end up knocking the troll unconscious with a levitation charm and its club after it attacked them instead. The three of them were now good friends and Ron learned the importance of listening to those that can do something he can't. For some reason Itachi was put out by the fact that Rose had friends outside of his house. He didn't understand why; it was good that she had friends in her own house, wasn't it?


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: I appreciate all the reviews I've received. **

**I don't own anything.**

Shortly after her escapade in the lavatory, Rose played in her first Quidditch match: Gryffindor versus Slytherin. Curious about the sport, Itachi attended. The concept of a three-dimensional sport played by civilians was worth witnessing, if only to see if there were any ways to incorporate the motions into combat situations. He was a bit disappointed; yes, Quidditch may have moves useful in airborne combat, but the current players lacked the skill to showcase them.

Sometime during the match Rose's broom began bucking. _It's either a malfunction in the broom's enchanting or someone that wants Rose dead or injured. _As there was nothing he could do if it was the first possibility, he thought of who would want Rose was injured. The first name to come to mind was Malfoy, as he frequently conflicted with her, although he kept to verbal insults. The next was the Slytherin team; as they couldn't jinx her broom while playing, they may have bribed another student to do it for them, most likely from Slytherin or Ravenclaw: Hufflepuffs were a less likely possibility that he would check out if his other theories fell out, and Gryffindors would never side with a Slytherin over a member of their own house.

The next group was the teachers: they were the most likely suspects, having years of knowledge and experience that would assist them in harming her without being detected. McGonagall and Flitwick were out; every time they saw her, their eyes lit up in joy. Snape was unlikely; he seemed to have a soft spot for the girl. Sprout was a possibility, but also unlikely; she had no motivation to sabotage Gryffindor as Slytherin often defeated Hufflepuff, so them losing to Gryffindor would be advantageous to the House of the Loyal. Sinistra, Babbling, and Kettleburn were not known to use complex wand magic necessary in overriding the charms on a quality broom. Hagrid wasn't supposed to have a method to use magic and appeared to like the girl. Quirrell seemed the most likely suspect, easily having the knowledge but no discernable motive.

The young Uchiha scanned the stands, beginning with the professors' booth. All of the teachers were staring and pointing, questioning each other about was happening. McGonagall had her wand drawn, pointed down but ready to be raised should Rose fall. Two were staring more intently than the rest: Snape and Quirrell. Snape's mouth was moving slightly, most likely muttering a curse or a counter-curse. Quirrell hand his hand over his, projecting a look of fear and shock, but his eyes were too narrowed for those emotions to be real.

_It's most likely Quirrell, but how to disrupt what he's doing? I can't kill him; not only are there too many potential witnesses along with unknown security measures, but I'm not positive that he's the culprit. Got it, chakra strings to pull his turban down, breaking eye contact and possibly disrupting his chant._ One of the standard combination moves the Uchiha clan used was launching a fireball and hiding Fūma Shuriken behind it. Advanced users attached chakra strings to the shuriken in case the target managed to avoid them. So that they didn't ruin their surprise, the users were taught to make the strings invisible. Itachi could do so with ease. _The problem will be accurately forming the strings at this distance; normally the strings are attached at a close range then lengthened, but I have to try. _

He focused chakra to his hand and channeled it through his pinky. Next he targeted the purple turban. A bead of sweat travelled down the side of his face as he focused his chakra string across the seventy meter distance to the target less than a third of a meter in length. He unconsciously activated his Sharingan, given him the perception of slowed time.

Three meters.

Two meters.

One meter.

There.

The string attached itself to the front of the rag just below the center, a prime position for the Uchiha's goal. He twitched his pinky; the turban slid down, covering the professor's eyes. The man jerked in surprise, bringing his hands up to his face and shoving the turban back into place. He looked around quickly, almost fearfully. _Either he's worried about why his turban moved or he's hiding something. I'll have to look into that later. _

The effects of Quirrell's interruption were immediately obvious: the jinxed broom stopped bucking and Rose recovered. Immediately afterwards Snape's robes caught fire. The teachers immediately shuffled about to extinguish it. "And Potter's seen the Snitch!" the announcer, one Lee Jordan, cried. Rose immediately dove towards the Gryffindor stands. She flew further past them, pulling up a scant few feet from the ground.

She reached out. Her arm was not quite long enough to grab the gold ball. She stood on the broom and leaned forward slightly. She still couldn't reach. She leapt.

A collective gasp echoed throughout the stadium as she hit the ground and rolled at least two and a half meters. She crawled to her knees and hunched over, giving the impression that she was about to vomit. She spat something up and caught it. The object glinted in the sun.

"Potter has caught the Snitch! The game is over! Gryffindor wins!" shouted Jordan excitedly.

The Slytherins near Itachi groaned, but he was unhappy for a different reason: one of his friends was nearly injured, and possibly killed, and by a professor. _I was caught by surprise: that is unacceptable. It seems being in this school has made me weak. I cannot be taken by surprise again._

He and the two girls were walking across the snow-covered grounds, much to Itachi's dismay. The freezing temperature of winter was not something he was used to. He had discovered a Warming Charm in one of his books, but that only helped so much.

"So Itachi, what's the deal with you and Rose? Both of you seem so busy recently; we haven't seen as much of you two as we did at the start of the year," Tracey asked.

"I can't say for certain about Rose, but she seems to be busy with Quidditch practice," answered Itachi. "As for me, I have been researching new spells, practicing the old ones and improving my dorm's security."

"Well, we know about that. You did help us with our own rooms, remember," Tracey pointed out. "Though I am sad you couldn't animate an alligator to help protect me. You want some mean person to break in and hurt me, don't you?"

"Ignoring Tracey for the time being," Daphne interjected, earning a 'Hey!' from the girl, "I've seen her and the two Gryffindors she's friends with in the library a lot."

"Quite suspicious, if you ask me," said Tracey.

"Yes, Weasley doesn't seem like the type to willingly spend time there," Daphne agreed.

"Perhaps the Granger girl has been a positive influence," Itachi suggested, more to provoke thought than to state his belief.

"I doubt it; the boy seems quite stubborn," the blonde differed. "I would imagine that if he wasn't interested in what they were doing, he would say so, quite loudly at that."

"Yeah, the Ice Princess is right," Tracey added. "He is still performs at the same pathetic level in class, so whatever they're doing isn't for school."

"Wow, Davis, an intelligent thought. If you're not careful you may grow a brain," Daphne joked.

Before Tracey could respond beyond an indignant spluttering, Itachi asked, "Ice Princess?"

The question brought a smile to the dark-haired girl's face. "Yeah, because she is so cold to other people, they started calling her 'Slytherin's Ice Princess.'"

Daphne scoffed. "Simply because I do not want to be a slut for the upper years does not make me cold. At least they're starting to learn to leave me alone."

While Itachi was surprised that older males would be soliciting an eleven year old girl for sexual acts, Daphne was definitely not the average eleven year old. She had started developing early, and her regal features did nothing to drive attention away. In a few years, Itachi surmised, she would have a figure that would rival Kunoichi seduction experts.

Daphne's eyes sparked as she realized, "Hey, Itachi, you said you've been researching spells, but I haven't seen you in the library a lot."

He nodded, "I practice my spells outside, near the Forbidden Forest."

That wasn't exactly true. He trained in a clearing inside the Forest, deep enough to not be seen but close enough to the edge that he could make his way out should something happen. The clearing was practically devoid of life, only a few birds and strange, winged horse-like creatures with black, leathery skin and red eyes kept him company. A trip to the library had identified them as Thestrals. While frightening in appearance, they possessed a rather gentle disposition.

Tracey shook her head. "I don't see why you practice so much. You're always the first to finish spells every class. Plus you practice a lot after you finish them. Seems like a waste of time to me."

"True, but you never know when you'll need to be able to perform a certain spell. I'd prefer to be able to cast perfectly and not need to than need to and not be able to."

"Whatever, not my time you're wasting," Tracey said. "So, any plan's for Christmas holiday?"

Shaking his head, Itachi responded, "No, I'll probably remain here. How about you two?"

Tracey answered first, "I'm going home. I'm so excited to see my mummy and daddy again. I've missed them."

The face of his father as he killed him flashed before Itachi's eyes. Guilt welled up inside. _Why am I feeling guilty? He was an enemy of Konoha and I killed him. It must be some lingering attachment I have to him. That cannot be allowed to continue. I will deal with it later._

"I will return home as well. My mother and father have been invited to the annual ball the Ministry hosts, so I shall attend that with my sister and pray that my father doesn't enter me into a Marriage Contract," said Daphne.

Clearing his head of his thoughts, Itachi asked, "Are those common in Britain?"

Daphne continued, "They're not uncommon. They are used mainly to secure political alliances. They used to be popular as a means to increase a family's wealth and standing, but now all the families that use them already have money and are practically equal in reputation."

"Is your father likely to enter you into a contract?"

"Why, are you wondering what your chances with her are?" Tracey asked.

Replying neutrally, "I was merely curious."

Tracey frowned, upset that he wasn't flustered. Daphne shook her head at her best friend's antics and answered his question. "I don't believe so, unless he feels it is in my best interest or the family needs it to be done. Were there such contracts where you're from?"

"They existed, but they weren't used frequently in my clan. Only arranged marriages for the head family males were used in order to keep the line strong."

The conversation came to a close as they reached the greenhouse their Herbology lesson was located in. Much to Itachi's relief, the inside was heated.

The first semester of classes ended, and the winter holidays had arrived. The entirety of Slytherin House besides Itachi went home. The school itself was all but empty; less than a dozen students remained altogether, most of who were in Gryffindor.

For some reason he couldn't abolish the guilt he felt. In fact, the more he tried to let it go, the more pronounced it became. Whereas he barely thought about the revolt before, now he rarely slept without seeing his father. As the holiday progressed, his brother, eyes full of hate, appeared as well. Soon he was haunted by thoughts of his mother every time he let his mind wander. He didn't even know if she was alive.

To deal with the problem, he spent most of his time training to exhaustion. Because of this, and she being busy doing something with Ron and Hermione, he didn't spend time with Rose. It bothered him as he had become accustomed to being near his friends. To counter the blossoming loneliness he felt, Itachi further busied himself with training. It was a vicious cycle: he trained because he was lonely and he was lonely because he spent all of his time training. He practiced everything but Mangekyō Sharingan techniques, remembering the legends of how overuse of the 'perfect Sharingan' lead to blinding his clan founders. _Maybe I should research eyesight restoring techniques, just in case I wind up losing my eyesight. Besides, my strongest techniques are ocular based and I will be rendered weak should I lose my ability to see._

With a new goal in mind, he frequented the library, even going so far as to bring books on healing to the Great Hall during meals. Two weeks into December and he couldn't find anything substantial. They had magical glasses and charms that temporarily granted perfect vision, but nothing that healed the eyes. Crestfallen, he decided that if the library had something worthwhile on the topic, it was in the Restricted Section. He assumed it wouldn't hurt to pay a visit to Madam Pomfrey to see if the resident healer had a solution and had a new plan of action.

Pomfrey was checking the stock of Pepper-Up Potions when Itachi entered. "Ah, hello young man, I don't believe we've met. I'm Madam Pomfrey, is there some way I can help you?"

"Itachi Uchiha, and I hope so. You see, poor eyesight runs in my family, with a few cases of blindness. I felt it was prudent to see if there was a method to heal my eyes should I begin losing my vision," he asked, his words a steady stream without any inflection, giving no sign that he wasn't being entirely honest.

Pomfrey thought on the subject. "I can't say I know of one of the top of my head, but if you'd like I can ask some of my associates at St. Mungo's."

"I would appreciate it if you would; as you may imagine, my eyesight is very important to me. Practically all of my interests involve being able to see clearly. Thank you for taking the time. Have a nice day."

A bit disappointed but not surprised, Itachi left the medical wing. _It's not that important at the currently anyway. My eyesight is still nearly perfect, so no need to worry unduly. _With nothing better to do, Itachi went to his clearing and experimented in mixing magic with chakra based techniques. He succeeded explosively when he combined the Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu with an Incendio Charm. The Kage Bunshin he was smart enough to have used died horrifically in an inferno that torched have the clearing. Quite an accomplishment when he had only used enough power in both to have burned a desk. While he was disturbed to witness being burned alive thanks to his clone, seeing the flame from a safe distance excited him in ways he didn't understand. He could feel a maniacal smile on his face, but no matter what he tried he couldn't remove it. He just felt so _tingly _all over!

_If that can be used without killing the user, it would be an exceptional technique._

Creating another clone, Itachi continued his experiments, his smile widening with eachattempt, despite continuously being unsuccessful. After an hour of trying , he still couldn't mix the two. He decided to stop for the day, before he started a forest fire.

On his way back to the castle, he couldn't keep a small smirk off his face. This had been a good day, despite completing either of his objectives.

Christmas day was depressing for the lone Slytherin. Every other student had at least one other person to be with but not him. The gifts he received from Daphne and Tracey, while generous and plentiful, just served to accentuate the fact that he was alone. The constant nightmares involving his family took a great deal out of him. He spent most of the day in his room, only leaving for a quick meal.

Sleep once again evaded him; every time he closed his eyes he would see his father's burning body, or Sasuke proclaiming him a traitor. Tears poured out of his eyes and the now-familiar guilt turned his stomach. This would be a long night if he couldn't change his train of thought. _May as well put my sneaking skills to work_, he thought at about one in the morning_. _

Dressing in the dark grey shirt and pants he used to wear in Konoha, he left the common room. He cautiously crept past hollow armor and up the stairs; it was entirely too cold to sneak around the dungeons. Upon reaching the third floor, he heard Filch, the caretaker, on the floor above. He was grumbling to someone about students out of bed. Although Itachi most likely could stay undetected most of the time, he wasn't in a right state of mind at the moment. He instead decided to head further into the third floor corridor.

He passed sleeping paintings and empty classrooms with closed doors. Near the end of the hall was a door, much like the rest, except it was somewhat ajar. Curiosity getting the better of him, he moved to investigate. Inside the room, among dust covered chairs and desks, in front of a large, ornately designed mirror, sat Rose, still in her sleep-wear. Her red hair was disheveled and a slivery cloth sat of to the side.

He silently walked and sat down beside her. She gave no indication that she knew he was there. Her cheeks had trails of tears and her eyes shone with longing as she stared at the glass. Curious as to what she was looking at, for a normal reflection couldn't cause such a reaction, he looked into the mirror.

His family looked back. Sasuke stood beside him, glancing happily at both Itachi's; his father was behind him, gazing proudly at his children; his mother was to the side, smiling happily at her complete family. Surrounding his family was his three friends, Daphne, Tracey and Rose, each a visage of beauty and joy.

He forcefully turned his head, wanting nothing more than to continue watching the scene but knowing it wasn't real: he had killed his father and his brother probably hated him, after all.

Rose was regarding him with a pained expression that Itachi wanted to change. "What do you see?"

Itachi remained silent; his training told him that sharing something like this was exposing an easily exploitable weakness, but a small part of him wanted, no needed, to confide in someone. "I see my family, complete and happy, with my friends nearby. Yourself?"

"I see my mum and dad, standing behind me, happy to have me as a daughter. And you're…"she trailed off.

"I'm what?"

"You're standing there, being my friend, helping me when I need it," Rose answered meekly, averting her eyes. "I've missed spending time with you."

"I have too."

"I don't want to lose you, you're my first friend," she said emotionally.

Itachi didn't know what came over him for he gently placed his arms around her and tightened slightly. "I promise you, Rose, that you won't lose me; you may not see me, and it may seem as though I'm not there, but I will be, supporting you from the shadows."

A muffled 'thank you' was her response. The two stayed like that for a couple minutes before Itachi regained his composure and withdrew from the hug. He wasn't how to act now so he decided a tactical retreat was in order, "I'm off to bed. Have a good night." Back in his bed, he drifted into a dreamless sleep.

The remainder of the holiday was more enjoyable to Itachi than the first half. He felt like a burden had been lifted; he still ached for his family, but his conversation with Rose had somehow eased the pain he felt. He practiced his Transfiguration, unsatisfied with taking an average of five tries to successfully cast a new spell. He continued to excel at Charms and had taught himself several useful new charms including the _Alohamora_ Charm, a low-level unlocking spell; the Flame-Freezing Charm, a spell that made fire not burn; and, more to his liking, the Bluebell Flame Charm, a fire that only burned what was held above it. Nothing else of interest occurred, though witnessing the Weasley twins charm a snowball into repeatedly bashing itself on the back of Quirrell's turban was entertaining.

Like everything else in the world, the holiday season had ended and the students soon returned, classes following shortly thereafter. The new semester picked up where the last one finished and things returned to normal. He got along decently with his housemates, but only remained friendly with Daphne and Tracey. Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle continued to antagonize the Gryffindors, primarily Rose, Ron and Hermione, although Neville was a frequent target as well.

"I'm glad we started spending time together again," Rose stated as she, Itachi, Daphne and Tracey sat in an unused classroom one Sunday night, a tradition they started sometime in January.

Tracey pulled her into a one-armed hug, "I know! It's great! Too bad you're so busy though."

Uncomfortable in the embrace but not wanting to hurt Tracey's feelings, Rose said, "Wood has been having us practice a bit much…"

"'A bit much?' He's practically killing you guys! During class you look like you're barely keeping your eyes open! " Tracey nearly yelled in outrage.

Daphne added, "I have to agree, I heard from a few third years that your Chasers found you asleep in the locker room after a session."

"That was one time, and I was tired. It wasn't his fault."

"The slap marks on his face that lasted three days said otherwise," Daphne deadpanned.

"Why are you making such a big deal of this? He's only doing this because Snape is refereeing the next match; he'll go back to normal after the game."

Tracey declared, "It's because we're your friends! We care about you and don't want you to get hurt! Right, Itachi?"

"It would be rather foolish to let your health suffer for a game," he said calmly.

Tracey took it like he made a passionate speech about friendship and caring, "See, even Itachi cares about you! Listen to him, he's never wrong!"

Rose sighed, "Wood has taken it a bit easier after I fell asleep in the locker room." Tracey stared at her with impossibly wide eyes. "And I'll make sure to catch up on sleep and relax a bit, happy?"

The brunette chirped, "Yes."

"Have you finished you're little project with Weasley and Granger?" Daphne asked. "You three haven't been in the library whispering conspiratorially, so I can only assume…"

Itachi listened more intently, he was curious about what they were doing.

Rose's pupils dilated and she began fiddling with her hands, "What project? We only go to the library when we need a few books for homework."

"Right and the way you all kept looking around to make sure no one would overhear you discussing the many properties of the Belladonna plant. Don't lie."

Making a quick decision, Rose acquiesced, "Fine, but don't repeat this. We think Dumbledore is keeping the Philosopher's Stone in Hogwarts, hidden in the forbidden part of the third floor. There is a three-headed dog guarding a trap-door at the end of the hall and Hagrid mentioned Nicholas Flamel."

Tracey asked, "Who's this Nicholas Flamel guy?"

"He's a famous alchemist that taught Dumbledore," answered Daphne. "I'm assuming that that was what you three were reading about?"

"Yeah, we couldn't find anything though. It turns out Hermione had borrowed the book that had the information in it and forgotten about it."

Tracey giggled. The three looked at her questioningly. "Sorry, I just think it's funny that Granger, the girl that is pretty much in love with books forgot about one, especially one she needed."

Itachi nearly smiled, Daphne giggled slightly, and Rose had to fight from doing the same. "Don't be mean. Anyway, it's getting late I'm going to head back. Good night."

The day of the Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff match arrived. Itachi only went to watch in case someone attempted to harm Rose again. Five minutes later he was returning to the castle. In possibly the shortest amount of time in Hogwarts' Quidditch history, Rose had caught the Snitch; whether it was Rose's innate skill, luck, or the result of Wood's trademark training sessions from Hell was debatable. He saw McGonagall scolding Ron, Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle, all of whom were slightly bloody. Nothing close to what he considered bloody, but that's beside the point. Neville had apparently been sent to the Hospital Wing to recover from injuries obtained while fighting Crabbe and Goyle, from what he overheard from the Headmistress. _Not the boy's smartest decision, _Itachi thought regarding Neville, _but he certainly earned his spot in the House of the Brave._

Once again life settled into a routine for a couple months. There was only one discrepancy, the cause of which could only be speculated upon. The Gryffindors had, overnight, gone from leading the House Cup to being out of the running. The distraught grumbling of the House and the celebratory smiles of the other Houses was amusing. The Lions took to glaring at Rose, Hermione and Neville. Itachi decided to confront her.

"Is there a reason why your housemates blame you for taking them out of the House Cup competition?" he asked after Transfiguration that day.

"Yeah, there is."

"Are you going to tell me?"

"Not here, I don't want to be overheard."

"Fair enough."

The pair retreated to the classroom they meet at Sundays. After sitting down and giving her a moment to settle, Itachi prodded, "You were going to explain how you became one of the most unpopular students in your House…"

"Hermione, Ron and I went to Hagrid's house to confirm that the Stone is here, it is by the way, and found that he had a dragon's egg. This was a couple weeks ago. A few days later it hatched."

He nodded, motioning her to continue.

"Since owning a dragon is illegal, we sent a letter to one of Ron's brothers that works at a dragon reserve in Romania. He told us he would come pick it up but we needed to take it to the top of the tallest tower. So last night the three of us sneaked down to Hagrid's to get the dragon. It bit Ron's hand, which then swelled up, so he had to go to the Hospital Wing. Not willing to give up, Hermione and I took the dragon ourselves.

"Going up was pretty easy, since I had my Invisibility Cloak, though we were almost caught by McGonagall. Seems Draco found out about the dragon and tried to get us in trouble by sneaking out and informing her where we would be. Luckily she didn't catch us and he got a detention for being out after curfew. We made it up no problem and were happy to have helped a friend. Unfortunately, on the way down Filch found us. We stupidly left the cloak at the top of tower so he saw us no problem. We lost the points and now have detention."

"How does Neville fit in?"

"He was walking back from the Hospital Wing and managed to get lost. Snape found him, gave him a detention and took more points from Gryffindor."

After getting an explanation, they separated; Itachi went to his clearing and Rose went to Quidditch practice. In his clearing, the Uchiha performed his daily physical regime, practiced the spells he knew and tried a few new ones. Today, however, something caught his eye. In the Forest, a few meters from where he stood, was a puddle of a glistening liquid. The rest of the ground was completely dry. He approached cautiously; the liquid was potentially poisonous and the source could be dangerous.

A closer look revealed that the liquid was silvery and opaque, and trailed further into the Forest, much like a blood trail from a wounded animal. He broke a branch of a nearby tree and dipped it into the pool. Removing it, the viscous liquid clung to the wood, much like blood would. He lifted his head and searched for animal life: there was none in the immediate vicinity. Whatever caused this was a good distance away by now. He would have to investigate at a later time, perhaps that night. Most magical creatures had parts that were incredibly useful in a variety of ways and therefore could be sold for a large amount of money if Itachi had no need of them.

After an hour after curfew Itachi snuck out. Making it to the Forest was child's play for a ninja of Itachi's caliber. Hagrid was waiting at the edge of the woods; Itachi wondered if he had been caught, but the large man made no indication of looking for him. He returned to where he found the blood and followed the trail, searching for signs of the animal such as fur or footprints. There were a few hoof-prints, but he lost them in the underbrush. He made his way back towards the castle; it probably wasn't worth wandering deeper into the unexplored woods at night. He heard a scream and saw red sparks go up into the air about half a kilometer away. He went to investigate, keeping out of sight and making no noise.

Near where the sparks were launched Itachi saw Neville, Hermione and Hagrid, but no animals, magical or mundane. He continued on, the trio ignorant of his temporary proximity. A couple minutes later there was a feminine shriek. He saw a head of pale blond hair running in the general direction of Hagrid. Only one person had that color of hair: Malfoy. The ninja progressed further, reaching a small clearing held a dead or dying horse-like creature lying in a growing pool of the silver blood. He found the prey. A black wraith launched itself in the direction Malfoy ran from.

The sound of something hitting the ground was heard in the direction the wraith was heading. Someone was still there. It didn't take a genius to infer that it was most likely Rose, everyone else that received detention last night was here, why wouldn't she. Itachi was enraged: this piece of shit was attacking one of _his_ best friends.

He pulled a kunai.

An arrow landed in front of the wraith. The spectral being pulled back and fled; more arrows followed it. A centaur approached the fallen Rose.

"The Forest is a dangerous place for you, Rose Potter," informed the centaur.

"You know my name?" the girl asked.

"The stars reveal many things, Miss Potter."

The response confused her, but she figured it wasn't important at the moment. "What was that?"

The centaur appeared not to have heard, "Do you know what unicorn blood is used for?"

"No, er, sir," she answered, unsure of how to refer to her savior.

"Unicorn blood is capable of staving off death; even if just a drop is consumed by a man with the most grievous of wounds, he will not perish. But the act of killing such a pure creature for such a selfish reason gives the blood a curse: while whoever drinks the blood shall not die, he shall not live either. He will be doomed to live a cursed-life, a half-life."

"But who would want to exist like that?"

"Can you think of no one that would do anything to live?"

After thinking for a few seconds it dawned on her. "Voldemort."

The centaur nodded.

"But why would he be so close to Hogwarts. I mean, Dumbledore is one of the few people that he fears."

"Is there not something in the castle that would restore life to anyone?"

"The Philosopher's Stone!"

"The stars shine brightly for you, Rose Potter. You will play an important part in the events to come. Your teacher nears, stay safe."

The centaur turned to leave, but Rose called out, "Wait, what's your name?"

"I am called Firenze."

Hagrid was indeed nearby and encountered Rose, making sure she was alright. Seeing that the predator was long gone and Rose was safe, Itachi returned to his dorm. While he didn't gain what he set out to, he did learn a few interesting facts. Voldemort was alive and would likely return to power in the coming years. Undoubtedly there would be another wizarding war. He had much to think about.

The end of the year was soon among them. A good portion of Itachi's, Daphne's and Tracey's free time was spent reviewing for the final exams. While they would undoubtedly cover topics they had mastered previously, it never hurt to be prepared. The entire school was subdued as the other students did the same. It seemed only the Weasley twins had any life to them, maintaining their pranks, mainly against Slytherin House. In fact, they seemed to have increased the tempo at which they pranked as the exams drew nearer. Itachi allowed himself to be pranked, they were harmless and beign the only one that constantly avoided them would draw undue attention to him that he would rather avoid.

The world seemed brighter as exams let out. Students fled the school, eager to relax by the lake or take advantage of the expanse of grass. Itachi was on his way to meet Daphne and Tracey outside when he witnessed Rose, Ron and Hermione once again acting suspiciously.

"Why wouldn't McGonagall listen to us?" asked a distraught Hermione.

"Well, they did say that there were more defenses, maybe it really is safe," offered Ron.

"Even still, it wouldn't hurt to post a guard," said Hermione.

"There's only one thing we can do," stated Rose with conviction. "We have to steal the Stone first."

The other two looked uneasy at the prospect.

"Look, Snape obviously wants the Stone for Voldemort. If the adults won't listen to us, then the responsibility falls to us. We cannot let him return, you both have heard how bad he was before. Because of this, we will sneak out tonight and protect the Stone ourselves."

"By ourselves?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, who else is there?"

"What about your three friends in Slytherin?"

"What?" Ron exclaimed loudly. "Why would we tell snakes about the Stone? They would probably steal it for themselves!"

Shaking her head at Ron's presumptuousness, she answered, "The Cloak can only fit three people under it. Even if it could fit more, it would take too long to make it to their common room then back to the third floor. Come to think of it, we don't even know where their common room is. No, we have to do it alone."

Itachi had heard enough; he would be busy tonight. Not only did he need to keep Rose safe, but if there was a chance he could get the Stone, it would be worth it. Outside of keeping the user healthy, nothing was known about the Elixir of Life. It may even stop his eyesight from deteriorating from using the Mangekyō Sharingan.

In his room, Itachi prepared for the night. He equipped his infiltration clothing, double checked his supply of kunai, shuriken and bandages, and stretched. He made his way to the third floor corridor. The door was closed; not sensing anyone in the hall, he activated his Sharingan and opened the door. A large Cerberus lunged at him, three heads ready to tear him to shreds. Saliva flew from its mouths. He dove forward, the center head missing him by a centimeter. Recovering rapidly, he looked for the trap-door. There! It was closed, but not locked in an obvious way. He formed a chakra string and used it to open the door while he dodged the monstrous canine. He formed a Kage Bunshin. It ran at the opening, and then slid into it. A second later he received a memory of landing on a plant that squeezed him; he recognized it as Devil's Snare. He dove into the hole and used chakra to stick to the ceiling. He closed the door; darkness enveloped him.

He slowly made his way down to the exit, mindful of traps. He reached the door and proceeded to the next chamber. The next room was filled with flying keys. A locked door barred passage to the room beyond. He saw a key with two injured wings 'limping' through the air. As its color matched the rusted lock, unlike every other key, he assumed it was the one he needed. He ascended the wall using chakra then leapt of, grabbing the key in midair. He opened the door slowly. The room seemed to be designed as a giant chessboard. In the middle of the floor, among the remains of over-sized chess pieces, was Hermione Granger leaning over an unconscious Ron Weasley. Rose was nowhere to be seen.

He entered cautiously, closed the door behind him, and then hid behind a Rook. Sparing a quick glance revealed that Hermione didn't seem to have noticed him. She struggled to pick up Ron then carried him back to the room with the flying keys in a fireman's hold. Hiding from her wasn't a challenge; she didn't focus on anything besides carrying Ron and where she stepped. Once the door behind him closed once again he moved. The next room possessed a dead troll; someone was here before the trio.

When he stepped into the next room the way back was blocked by flames. A collection of potions sat in the center of the room with a parchment. One vial was empty._ Probably contained the potion I needed_, he mused. The passage ahead was blocked by black fire. He read the parchment, figured out the riddle but didn't drink any of the potions. It would be too easy for someone to have swapped the order of the potions, increasing the odds of picking a poison. Instead, he activated his Mangekyō Sharingan and whispered, "Mangekyō Sharingan: Susanoo."

Pain enveloped him as orange and red chakra swirled around him forming the Uchiha's ultimate defense. He strode through the flames, each step increasing the pain. As soon as he made it through he cancelled the technique, the pain vanishing. Shaking off the urge to relax, he advanced.

The entire room was dark minus the center where the mirror he had encountered on Christmas stood. Romanesque pillars circled the room, providing cover for Itachi. Quirrell was yelling at a bound Rose. He stuck to the shadows, ready to intervene if Rose's life was threatened.

"Tell me what you see, girl!" Quirrell demanded.

"I-I see myself surrounded by friends. I just won the Quidditch Cup and we're celebrating," she claimed, her pitch fluctuating slightly.

"She lies!" a raspy third voice cried.

"Tell me the truth!" Quirrell shouted.

Rose remained silent, glaring defiantly at Quirrell.

"Let me speak to her."

"But master, you are too weak," Quirrell protested, then winced.

"I have strength enough for this."

Quirrell turned his back on Rose and unfurled his turban. On the back of his head was a second face, this one with red eyes, no nose, elongated nostrils and a thin mouth. It began speaking.

"Rose Potter, we meet at last."

"Voldemort," she ground out.

Itachi tensed, ready to strike out at the slightest provocation.

"Ah, quite brave, to speak my name like that, much like your parents. A pity they had to die, they would have been quite useful in serving me."

"Don't speak about them, you bastard! It's your fault they're dead!" she yelled.

Voldemort chuckled, "No, I offered to spare them. It is their fault. They were defiant to the end. But enough talk of the past, there is no need for us to fight." The ropes that bound her dropped. "As you can see, I mean no harm to you. I merely believe you have my Stone. In fact, I believe it is resting there in your left pocket."

Rose brought her left leg back, giving Itachi a perfect view of the oddly shaped bulge that was located in it.

"Give me the Stone, Rose. I am not evil, Rose, quite the opposite, really. It is only to my enemies that I am merciless. To my followers I am exceptionally benevolent. Give it to me, Rose, and I can grant you wealth and power beyond your imagining. Give it to me, and together we can bring your parents back to life. Together, you and I can conquer the world; reshape it as we see fit.

"Together, we can bring an end to prejudice and abuse, to senseless discrimination and violence. Join me, and all your dreams can come true. It's simple, Rose, just give me the Stone and receive the world."

Rose was conflicted, all her life she wished that she could meet her parents, and here he, the person hailed as the most evil wizard of the century, was offering to resurrect them. Not only that, but he was also guaranteeing that no one would grow up like she did. Her hand subconsciously went to her pocket.

Voldemort's eyes proclaimed his inevitable victory; the Chosen One, the one responsible for his downfall, was about to hand him the key to immortality.

She paused.

She recounted what was written in the history books: countless killed, thousands of women, some her age or even younger, raped and brutally murdered, families torn apart for being born a certain way or for believing a certain thing. Did she want to help the man that caused this return to power just to get her parents back, parents that died fighting to stop him?

"I would never join you," she stated coldly.

"Kill her!" Voldemort hissed.

Quirrell turned charged her. She moved to the side, unknowingly placing herself between Itachi and her assailant. He repeated his effort, this time succeeding. He lifted the girl up by her neck, intent on strangling her. Itachi was about to reveal himself when Quirrell dropped her. Smoke rose from his hands.

"Ah! Master, my hands!" he cried in obvious pain.

"Kill her! Kill her!" his master ordered, uncaring of the fate of his loyal host.

Rose backpedalled, but tripped on the ropes used to bind her.

Itachi drew a Kunai.

Quirrell advanced on her, intent on wringing her neck.

Itachi connected a chakra string to it.

Voldemort strained, focused on the girl.

Itachi saw his opening

Rose struggled backwards, trying in vain to escape her would-be murderer.

Itachi threw a kunai.

It sunk into his target, the base of Quirrell's skull.

Quirrell opened his mouth to scream, but no noise escaped.

Itachi pulled back on his chakra string. The kunai flew towards him.

Quirrell's body slowly fell backward, hiding the knife from Rose. Both Itachi and Rose relaxed, Rose more so than Itachi, despite her ignorance of what had occurred seconds before. They both tensed when the body began to burn to dust. In moments Quirrell appeared to be made of sand. Rose stared at the body in abstract fascination. The body collapsed as an intangible, dark grey _thing_ flew out of the late professor's head, straight at Rose.

"Potter!" screamed a hoarse, malice-filled voice. The spectral head of Voldemort flew through Rose. She screamed in pain and collapsed. The spirit then fled.

The silence was deafening. Itachi quickly made his way down and checked Rose's vitals. Her pulse was strong and steady; there were no lacerations or broken bones that needed to be set. Seeing that she would be fine, Itachi removed the Sorcerer's Stone from her pocket.

It appeared to be nothing more than an uncut ruby, if a bit darker and more opaque. Taking a kunai, he chipped a small corner off; nothing that would be noticed easily, but enough to be studied. He replaced the stone in her pocket then left before the inevitable staff member appeared.

Rose was unconscious for a week. Daphne, Tracey, Hermione, Ron and Itachi all visited her, worried for their friend. A mountain of gifts and a multitude of cards surrounded her. She woke up an hour before the End of Term Feast and had a talk with Dumbledore, who explained how Quirrell's evilness caused Rose's love to kill him. Her Slytherin friends were unaware of her recovery until they saw her in the Great Hall.

"So Itachi, have any plans for this summer?" Tracey asked.

"Nothing outside of finishing the assigned work and preparing for next year."

"That's boring. Daphne and I will probably get together, you should join us. Ooh, maybe we can invite Rose too!"

"That's a good idea," supported Daphne. "What do you think?"

Itachi shrugged, "It's possible. If you inform me of the dates, we may be able to set something up."

The train ride back to King's Cross was uneventful. The Slytherin three spent the first hour in a compartment with the Gryffindor trio before Ron caused an awkward period, resulting in them finding a separate one. After saying goodbye to his three friends, Itachi returned home using the Knight Bus. _Quite an eventful year, I'm curious what the next will hold._


End file.
